


The walking dead

by The_Night_Owl



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Character Death, F/M, Minor Character Death, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 03:20:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12950196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Night_Owl/pseuds/The_Night_Owl
Summary: Lilith, a woman originally from England, had moved from her home to Atlanta just short of a year before the world turned on its head. After a lifetime of terrifying stuggles and nightmarish terrors, this new world isn't all that difficult, and she finds that she is strangely suited to the new way of the world. Although slightly unstable, she admits that she may be a bad person, though when she hears the calls for help on her way to a possible safe haven from the dead clamouring to feed on living flesh and add to their innumerable ranks, will she come running to investigate? Will she be the saviour of the poor unfortunate?  Or will she simply take what she wants and leave them to fill the bellies of the corpses haunting the world, with phantoms clinging to the relics of the world that once belonged to the living?





	1. The end of the world happened, and it happened fast

  It was a very hot day, the sun taking its place high in the barren blue sky and wearing at the dry, cracking earth below with its scorching heat that made the air itself shimmer with fiery distortion. The greenery didn't thank the sun that they relied on for life, instead wilting in their spots as the air took their oils for its own. 

   The forest itself was quiet, any creatures awake for the day taking shelter from the oven-like Georgian heat in little burrows hidden by copious amounts of shrubbery of a vibrant green. All looking in dire need of a nice, refreshing shower.  only no tell-tale signs of rain were present above, much to the dismay of the young woman pawing at the soil underfoot with a sour expression. 

   She had been hunting for a day or two now, or at least had been trying too, but the self proclaimed seasoned hunter had little luck in deciphering tracks from the rest of the hard-packed mud. Which was actually quite bad as she was running dangerously low on food. Though she had plenty of water available, as she had recently discovered a stream, which she was thankful for, and had decided to stick close by- hoping to catch a nice meal with its face down in the sickly warm water. Which obviously hadn't been the case, as she could practically feel her stomach digesting itself at this point, the gnawing emptiness was beginning to make itself more prominent than she was comfortable with. At this rate, she'd have to pay the farm another visit. 

   She had known the family living on said farm for a long time, and by long time she of course meant that she had met them just over a year ago once at a festival and han't thought to turn back to the place until the world had gone tits up. Never actually making contact with them since. It had really helped that she knew the layout so well beforehand, gave her more confidence about setting up base at the place, she also really enjoyed not starving to death, in fact is was on her top ten lists of her most favourite activities. Just under not being eaten alive by dead people. Which was also a very real possibility now.

   It had been just a few months ago everything had started. Two to be precise, though it had truly began days before the world officially fell- the phenonemon had spread across the planet like wildfire. The dead coming back to attack the living. Infecting more and more unfortunate souls and damning them to wander around in search of new flesh as they went.

   Cities had fallen the quickest, the dense populations quickly becoming fodder to the walking corpses, leaving whatever was left to haul itself up and shamble around with its new friends. Places once brimming with life turned into dead zones within mere days, maybe a few weeks at most, into places you could go weeks without seeing another living face- and those faces were solemn ever friendly. It was a new world now, and people unwilling to dirty their hands would just end up as another corpse trying to eat your face off by the time night falls. Which was probably why Lilith was still breathing.

   It had started with just the odd case of brutal murderings on television. The news reportings slowly escelating, missing people, odd cases of cannabalism from groups of rabid people- spreading a sense of incoming dread across the nation. The world. Everyone staring at their screens and wondering what could be next. Though none had expected the sudden bomb the govornment had dropped on them. Suddenly, everyone was being frantically ordered to evacuate, people unable to move their beds being left behind to die by panicking families, with the military swarming the cities, gunning down both the dead and living like an unstoppable wall of bullets and gunfir. Radio stations had been continuiosly droning safety precautions to whoever could hear, until even those began to slowly fizzle out, power was lost, leaving anybody without their own genarator left trapped in the dark and cold. People were rioting and fleeing in the streets like rats in a burning building, which was accurate when some actually began to catch fire. People were screaming and crying, being tramped to death by the crowd that were climbing over eachother to escape the threat they could barely even identify, just knowing they had to get away from something. 

   Someone looking on into the chaos in the streets wouldn't have even been able to tell the dead from the living in the mess. And then, at some point the military had been overrun, the surviving soldiers falling back and sending the signal for someone far away, to tell another guy to give the pilots the all clear to drop the bombs. The bombs which ultimately did little to do much else than destroy the supplies that could later have helped the survivors, leaving a small cluster of buildings completely obliterated, small fires spreading throughout the chaos, crushing the morales of onlooking survivors as they watched the danger coming straight for them next. The people with access to cars didn't have much luck either, other than escaping the stampede of the streets. Gridlock for miles, people complaining to their neighbours how 'annoying' it was to sit in their seats, 'we have the right to know what's going on do you know who i am?' they'd say, as if it even mattered anymore- completely oblivious to the fact that perfect strangers were being ripped apart just a few miles from were they sat impatiently in their little groups. Most of those people died in their cars, the 'survivors' turning shortly after.

    One could say she was made for this new world. She didn't lament the deaths of the faceless strangers she would never know, how could you mourn someone you've never met? And she had to admit, she did feel a certain pleasure in the game of survival she found herself in, a world of kill or be killed. It simply wouldn't do to allow something such as morality to hinder her life, At the end of the day, the only thing that mattered anymore was living, and having fun doing it. After all, what was the point of living if you wanted nothing more to die?

   Mind made up, she backpedaled her path, crossing the healthily flowing stream and meandering back west, keeping the sun on her right shoulder as she walked for safe measure. The soft trickling of the water was irritating, as combined with the rustling of the leaves with the wind, it masked the noise of almost anything else. She would be deaf to the close to silent pattering feet of the forest dwellers, to the feathery wing beats of the birds, to the occassional swish of a fish just shy of the waters surface. There was only one thing she would never be deaf to, an that would be the clumsy footprints of the half eaten corpses trampling their way through the greenery.

      She heard them way before she saw them, though from the slow pace of the crunching of their footsteps, they hadn't spotted her either. They where a just a short distance away, though the sound was coming from behind her, if she quickened her own pace a little and made sure to stay quiet, they'd pass her right by. Though where was the fun in that?

   Turning heel, she slid her feet loudly across the ground, balancing her body and letting out a squeal of delight as the dead-heads emerged from the brush, strained groans forcing themselves from their rotting throats while their bodies struggled to stay upright. There were three in total, and they perked up considerably at the noise, growling exciteably as they switched their paths towards the girl in wide, awkward arcs.

     Lilith stepped towards them, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her filthy slacks and casually glancing at her new friends for the next few minutes. There where two men, and one woman, with the once middle aged males flanking the woman on each side as she took the lead, pencil skirt torn to shreds that hung around her hips by sticky viscera and little else. She might not have looked very appealing, but she smelled much worse. Lilith could feel her eyes burning with the rot filling her nostrils, and her vision blurred with tears. The smell really was foul. 

     When the undead trio got just a little too close, Lilith decided to move, darting forwards with impressive speed and rotating a full circle on her heel, bringing her other slamming down onto the womans head with such force it sent it flying off, and the now headless body jolted sharply before crumpling to the floor, with it's companions following suit in a less dramatic, yet just as brutal fashion. The problem with kicking a persons head in though, was that it made quite a mess, and with the filth fully saturating her boots, she was wary of the risk of getting herself sick if she didn't clean herself up soon. The rest of her was just as dirty as her feet, she had neglected basic hygiene for too long to risk it any further.

   There was the issue of having no cleaning supplies to hand, but she figured she was close enough to the farm to make do with what had on, she could always loot some clothes from the house, perhaps she'd set up camp there while, anything to give her a break from hauling her supplies around for a little. Her shoulder felt ready to pop from it's socket with the weight.

   She had travelled a lot farther than she had first realised though, and estimated that the trip would take roughly another day, two max, depending on how much ground she could cover on an empty stomach. All the more reason to keep her eyes peeled for game along the way. As she kneeled down to the now fully dead cadavers, she made a point to ignore the strench, scrunching her face up and pressing the cloth she wore over her face just a little harder against her nose. 

      After a quick rummage through the mens pockets, finding little else than personal affects and old wrappers, she turned to what was left of the woman. She looked to have had it the worst, while the guys had gotten off with a few nasty bites to the shoulder and upper arms- the lady was in bits. Quite literally. She could see the womans spine through the gaping chasm in her abdomen, leaving her torso as an empty shell, whatever hadn't been eaten falling out long before she reached the forest. Lilith ran her fingers along the vertabrea with a morbid sense of awe, facinated by the carnage and poking and prodding at the sunken flesh at her ribcage, the skin pulled taut over the ridges of her ribs. Of all the times to lose her knife. She'd regret leaving such a brilliant canvas unattended for weeks.

     There was something else pretty good about her encounter though, as she found a small casing of painkillers hidden away in her breast pocket. Seal intact and the casing itself undamaged. It wasn't food, but it was something, and that handful of ibuprofen capsules could easily make the diffarence between life and death later down the road. Needless to say, she swiped them in a heartbeat.

    With nothing else of value to be found, Lilith righted herself again, sighing internally at the creaking of her joints as they moved. She'd been pushing her body too hard the past week, perhaps the nomadic lifestyle she'd been sporting wasn't exactly the healthiest- but it kept her ahead of the swarms. Moving was the simplest way to avoid attracting very much unwanted attention. Stay in place for just a little too long and you're bound to have something come sniffing around eventually, be it dead or alive. Neither options were too appealing at this point.

    Walking through the forest had its ups and downs, downs being that it expended a lot more energy than walking on flat road. And there was always that one stray knot of rooting or an odd rock that seemed to always catch at your foot, and Lilith had stumbled more times in this week alone in this forest than she had in the past three years. Though the advantages far outweighed the cons, you were less likely to run into company, more likely to run into something you could eat, and you were constantly surrounded by cover. True, that meant everything else had it too, but stealth with the crunchy wildlife underfoot was an art, one most walkers, and people, lacked.

     As the small woman casually strolled past the thin trunks of the vast amount of trees dotting the landscape, she felt the edge of her quiver digging into her shoulder blades, pushed hard against her by the straps of her backpack.

    She'd taken the bow on her shoulder as the streets had flooded with people. Marching straight into a small store for hunting equipment and snatching the first one she saw hanging on a wall along with the bows to match. Grabbing a large backpack along with it and stuffing it full of rope and wire, topping it off with anice, sharp hunting knife and some other gear as she hurried to finish. She had wanted to put as much distance between herself and the city as she could.

     She stopped along the way to the outskirts to shove some medicines into her pack from a small time pharmacy. Taking the time to take things she wouldn't need as well, figuring that with things going south so bad, a bargaining chip or two would do well to boost her chances with other folk losing their minds outside. That is if they didn't shoot her first and just take the lot anyway. Everyone was going nuts outside as it was, and if the gunfire had anyting to say about it, things weren't going to get much better.

    She was scared, yes. Her hands were quivering as she stuffed anything of value into her back, blankets- clothes, cans of anything edible or anything that would last more than a few days. Though she was also strangely...excited. The world was falling apart around her and she felt elated in a way that scared her more than the hell outside. Maybe she had lost her mind, the chaos driving her insane from the stress. Perhaps the long days of being so alone with nothing but the occasional dead man to keep her company had pushed her furthur over the edge.

     After what could have been years, though in actuality had been little over a month, she couldn't find it in herself to really care anymore.

      Killing became life, surviving became a fun game, amusement something of a luxury to persue where it could be found. It was funny how little it took for a reasonably sound of mind woman to become such a dark version of herself.

     She had fled into the suburbs of Atlanta, taking shelter from the tsunami of people outside. Many of them bashing at the doors and windows- some taking the time to plead, begging to get inside. None of them ever did set foot on that pretty welcome mat in the end. 

    She'd never bothered to explore the rest of the house, just staying pressed up against the door with eyes as wide as saucers. The low groaning noise had been her only warning before a pair of perfectly normal-looking hands had wrapped around her torso, the only thing stopping her from being infected on day one being the backpack blocking the overweight fuckers face from reaching her jugular. His grip had been iron-like, and lilith had yelped with the fright, struggling like a madwoman to break free from the fingers trynig to claw at her skin.

     After a moment or two of trying in vain to shake him off, she'd resorted to pushing him back towards the staircase, using her weight to trip him over onto the sharp edges of the corners and roughly shrugging out of her pack. The dead man took a moment to grasp that she wasn't attatched to it anymore, the cogs working in whatever was left of its brain before unhappily pushing the useless thing away, the much more appealing object of interest being the very much living flesh making a grab at the cane in the umbrella stand. She felt the flabby fingers close around her ankle just as her own clasped the smooth handle, and without a moments hesitation she swung it down on the guys head, ripping her leg from his grip and snatching up her bag. 

     With a strangled groan, he pushed himself up once more, eyes rolling into the back of his head and tongue lolling out of his gaping mouth. A thin trail of blood trickling down his face from a wound that should have sent any normal man into a coma. That was the first dead man she ever put down, with many, many more following that along the way. She had stayed the night in that house regardless, finding the experience, although jarring, much safer than dealing with the mobs just past the door, the groanings of the dead no so much more peircing than the pleading calls of the living, and only after a few short hours before the radio cut off. It had been just three months since then, three months that very well could have been years.

 

 

Carefully stepping over a large stump of a felled tree, she shimmied the pack roughly, adjusting it's position into something a little move comfortable without slowing down, gripping the handle of her most treasured possesion just a fraction tighter, when the blood-curdling scream reached her ears.


	2. Out of the blue

Two walkers, that's all there were, but by the sounds of the screaming coming out of the little girls mouth you'd think there was a whole herd. Which coincidentally- there would actually be, if she kept making so much noise.

    She looked to be around ten years old, with pretty strawberry blonde hair that sat just above her shoulders in an overgrown bob cut. It shone easily in the sun. Though that could just as easily have been the grease from not bathing for a few days. She was small, with a frail build that said she spent a lot of time cowering, Lilith could smell the fear a mile away, a nervous child. Though with the two dead people clawing after her, she had reason to be.

    They were slow, one crawling on the ground, a foot bent at the ankle with the bone protruding from grey flesh. The other limping after her with one shoulder still bleeding profusely- clothes fairly intact compared to its companion, who's red shirt was so discoloured and worn it looked more like maroon. Freshly turned. And an appetite to kill, so to speak. The girl ran more like a rabbit than a human fearing for life, body half turned to keep an eye on the things following her rather than what was right in front of her path. Stopping and slowing down every now and then for no other reason than maybe for shits 'n' giggles- screaming her lungs out instead of breathing. Which was something you needed to do to live, and to keep running, and since her life depended on both of those things you'd think she'd put more effort into it.

    Lilith watched her slam straight into a tree with the roamers not far behind, though she took this moment to turn, and then promptly forgot she had the ability to sidestep the trunk in her path, digging her feet into the crumbling earth as if she could push the wood back with the meek force of her body weight. She didn't even try to climb her way out of the situation, just screamed louder and watched the corpses with wide, tear-filled eyes. Stupid girl. She stopped screaming when Lilith sunk the blade of her scythe deep into the things skull.

    It was a wet sound, the bone shattering under skin and digging into it's own brain. The blade itself parting the lump of meat like butter, and sliding out again just as easily. She didn't even bother bringing the blade down on the second one, lazily pushing the hilt into the back of its skull. The residue was easily wiped off on the lifeless bodies jackets. Not like they'd mind.

    "You're welcome" she trilled finally, shouldering her weapon, the bottom of the pole digging into the dirt with a barely audible scuffle. The girl was shaking like a leaf, eyeing the stranger in front of her with eyes just as wide as the eyes she gave the dead freaks trying to eat her alive. She was just what she appeared- a coward of a child, those eyes were not those of a confident little girl like most kids her age. Though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but unless she learned to keep her fear in check, it'd get her killed.

    "Y'now kid, a 'thank-you' goes a long way, even before people started eatin' eachother, one day you're gonna run into someone that's gonna balk as that kinda disrespect, 'n' then you're just as fucked as you'da been if I hadn't saved the day" Lilith rasped out, voice grating against her own throat. Huh, whoah, she really hadn't spoken for a while, she barely sounded like herself anymore. At the sound of her voice the girl jumped, but she seemed to relax just a little bit more. Lilith sighed, already tired of the situation, clearly the kid wasn't as fun as she first looked. The conversation she'd been hoping for nonexistent.

    To her surprise, the girl piped up "T-thank you, ma'am, for saving me". Huh, maybe she wasn't that bad. At least she wasn't a brat. Maybe she'd stick around her yet.

    "See now that wasn't so bad right?", a smile, if not a small one it was still there. No matter how nervous she still looked.

    "So where's your group? Kid like you wouldn't have survived without one. Or did they all kick the bucket?" the brunette mythered nonchalantly. Removing the bow from her shoulder and fiddling with the taut strings. She was a kid, but that didn't mean Lilith would hesitate for a second to put her down the moment she tried to pull a fast one, though she doubted the little girl would.

    "A B-big group of them attacked us, I r-ran away but Rick came and saved me-" she stammered as if Lilith even knew who this 'Rick' was, stepping around the bodies carefully and approaching the woman with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. "He t-told me to go back to the highway- keep the sun on my left shoulder, b-but then those two..." she trailed off, lips quivering a little. 

    "Wait- you said the highway? And there was a lot of dead-heads? Which way did they go?" Lilith questioned, voice dropping to a harsh whisper. If what that kid was saying was true, both of them could be in a lot of trouble right now. The girl shrugged, eyes darting everywhere, sensing the change of mood and apparently not liking what she saw. 

    "Look kid, i'll try get you back to you're friends, i'm not promising anything but i'm heading that way anyway- but if there's a swarm nearby and you slow me down I will leave you to die, i'm not dyin' for you" she stated, running a hand down her face and tightening the knot the rag around her face. Without stopping to check the corpses, she pressed her canteen of fresh water against the girls chest and grabbed at her upper arm and began dragging her back towards the stream. Being sure to keep a watchful eye to the treeline, keeping as quiet as she could and not letting the small girl more than a meter away from her for even a moment. 

   "Do you know where you're people are if I leave ya nearby?" she whispered, ushering the girl along, nearly pushing her over in her haste. She shook her head, eyes so wide and pathetic looking it made Lilith feel sick to look at her. She didn't like the unspoken pleading in those eyes. "Course you wouldn't, couldn't be that easy right?"

     The girl wasn't a talker that much was clear, at least not to her. Considering the threat of a swarm of walking dead people being somewhere nearby that wasn't really a bad thing. Sound attracted them like moths to flame. She seemed nice enough, and was probably a sweetheart when she wasn't terrified out of her mind. Only she was, so Lilith only saw her fear. They both scurried through the forest at varying paces, ducking behind cover whenever they heard so much as a rustle out of place. Gradually slowing down as the little girl made it clear she didn't have the stamina for the apocalypse. 

      "How far off did ya run from this group of yours? Any chance we'll be runnin' into this Rick fella? He'll be lookin' for ya right?"

"I-I don't know- pretty far?"

The older woman's shoulders slumped. She picked at the filthy hem of her shirt. She'd just have to hope they weren't too far away- how far could a little kid like her run anyway?

Apparently, very far.

    Just past noon, Lilith decided to give the kid a break, she was getting too slow to keep up, and at the rate things were going she wouldn't be able to run should things go sour. The river ahead became a little broader, with a scattering of closely kept trees providing the best wall nature could really offer. Without a word, Lilith changed course, making a b-line straight through the water and practically throwing her body to the ground, slamming her back flush against the rough bark with her gear meeting the ground shortly after. 

     "C'mon kid, before you fall down" she offered, motioning a hand to the spot next to her and rubbing at her calves, the constant travel leaving her muscles a wreck. The little girl obliged, still feeling skittish about the woman she was following. Was she really going to take her back? What if they had already moved on? Her mother surely wouldn't leave her, but what if they had left regardless? 

    The lady hadn't even told her what her name was- though, thinking about it, she hadn't told her hers either. Her mother always told her to be polite, but the scowl on the older woman's face made her ignore that advice. She didn't look friendly, and her voice died in her throat long before it reached her lips cracked from the heat. Ah, that's right, she had been nice enough to give her water, and she had helped her just a few hours ago with the walkers chasing her, so she wasn't bad. Still didn't mean she would speak up of course, her being less scary didn't make her braver.

    "My name's Lilith by the by" she murmured quietly, taking back the half-empty canteen of water and gulping down a few greedy mouthfuls and sloshing the water around her dry mouth.

 

"Why are you helping me?" the little girl asked, a frown gracing her features as she anxiously glanced around the treeline for any oncoming danger. "Honestly kid, mainly thinking of the food, but i'm not such a cruel person to leave a little lady like yourself all alone in the wood, I have a heart y'know?" the older woman hummed, "probably" she added after a moment of thought, under her breath, running a tired hand through the greasy roots of her hair and regretting it almost instantly. Ugh, what she'd do for a decent shower. Not a bath though- baths are gross. Bathing in your own filth, ha, no thank you.

     The little girl across from her seemed dissatisfied with the answer she'd gotten, but she made no further effort to start a conversation, and despite being sick of the silence, silence was really the safest option with a herd possibly lurking nearby. So Lilith made no move to speak either. Instead pawing at the dry earth, tracing barely visible lines into the dust. Though It was an uncomfortable, awkward silence. The kind of silence where both parties sent very obvious uncomfortable glances at eachother but still refused to speak. Or move. Or really do anything to make it less painful. That kind of silence.

      The quiet stretched out for another ten long minutes before Lilith broke, jumping up to her feet despite still being exhausted and nodding for the girl to follow. Which she did without complaint, though Lilith saw the sigh in her eyes. Still, she didn't falter in her decision to get moving, so the two of them kept walking, with Lilith discreetly walking in step with the small girls movements. She wasn't soft- pfft, she just, just wasn't an arse. At least not always. 

     "So uh, what's your group like?" the older woman grunted, stepping over a large stump rotting in the ground, the pulpy mush that was left sticking to her already filthy boots. She heard the small girl draw in a sharp breath, as though uncertain if she should speak, before quietly answering. "They're nice, but Daryl is a bit scary sometimes" she said quietly, and Lilith hummed in her throat, digesting the information. "Shane too" she added after a breath. That didn't sound too promising.

    "Daryl huh? What makes him so scary?" she questioned, picking at a twig she pulled from a bush to keep her hands occupied. "He's not always bad- just sometimes" the little lady clarified, as though it made all the difference. "He's moody, and he glares at everyone a lot, he's scary when he shouts".

      Heh, she'd have to keep her eye on the guy if she decided to stick with the group for a while. she wasn't such a fool to ignore the red flag she'd kindly been given. 

      "So how many are there in your crew?" she prodded, trying to get the child to warm up to her a little bit. She turned her head towards her, letting a small smile play at her lips, and the discomfort melted away a little, a small grin spreading across her own, making her pretty blue eyes twinkle a little in the sun. Lilith could see the girls concentration as she mentally tallied them up, "Eleven, with me".

   "I have a friend called Carl there, his daddy came back a few days ago, but he was there longer, he plays with me a lot, even though he's a boy- I like him" she continued, eyes crinkling happily at the thought.

     "Well that's good, boys usually stink, right?" lilith joked, and was rewarded by a bright "yeah!" and a fit of giggles. Heh, maybe the squirt wasn't too bad.

 "Lilith? Ma'am?" 

 "Yeah?"

"What do you d-- did, you do? Before this?". Huh, weird question for a kid.

   "A little bit of everythin', really, but mostly I-" a gasp cuz her off short, and Lilith swiveled around to see what had spooked her new friend. Heh, of course, just their luck.

     They'd walked straight into middle of the damn herd.


	3. Gone just as fast

Lilith felt the breath in her lungs vanish as she spotted the first decaying face through the foliage, and then the other, and another- on and on until she could no longer see the end of them. With each extra decaying face, her confidence in her own abilities dropped a little, until she decided that attacking the mob might not be the best idea, at least not with the kid nearby, and not without a clear escape route. How the fuck had she not noticed they were surrounded sooner? This is how death happens! Carelessness!

      She heard a series of twigs snap loudy behind her, and turned to find the little girl had vanished. Well, not vanished, no that would be too simple, no the squirt had taken off like a bat out of hell. And of course she hadn't been quiet about it, and returning her gaze to the swarm, those few unruly twigs had been all it took for the whole lot of them to turn their attention to Lilith, who wisely took off after her little friend at twice the pace as her heart. Which was threatening to burst out of her throat, that is if a roamer didn't rip it out first.

     The trees whipped past her vision in a blur of brown and green, and she felt her feet sink into stray knots of winding roots every now and then, threatening to tug her feet from under her and drop her right on her face. With the dead hot on her heels, the noise exciting them and riling them up to a dangerous high. She had lost sight of her little friend, and for a moment, she though she saw a flicker of the blue of her shirt, but by the time she had turned to run in it's direction, a cluster of dead had already beaten her to it. For a split second she debated cutting through the small group, only in the few moments it would take to put the few down, the others would be on her, and she couldn't risk it, not unless she knew for sure the child was there. Which she didn't

   "Fuck this" Lilith grumbled a little breathlessly, skidding to a halt and ducking under the hand that flew at her, pushing against the soft earth below her feet and throwing herself in the opposite direction. How ironic that the herd was herding her, off in the wrong direction, at least, enough in the wrong direction for her to be pissed about it. She was just of keter from the highway, though if she was lucky she could circle her way around and head back on track, but when was she ever lucky? It was annoying, but she'd have to play it safe until she had put a bit of distance between her and the undead party flanking her rear. 

 Pulling her scythe from its place rammed into the tight space of her bag and her back, she swiped it at one very dead lady who'd gotten a little too close. She didn't stay to marvel at the sight of her torso and legs separating, but she felt the vibrations of her blade slicing through flesh and bone,  as though her weapon was ab extension of her own arm. A wet thud sounded behind her as she quickly darted away, pushing the pack that had taken those few seconds to converge in front of her aside with the brunt of her long handle. A few stumbling backwards, others simply toppling over like a logged tree. Groaning at the contact with a meal they'd hopefully never get. 

    Picking up the pace a little, she kept a wide eye out for any sign of her companion. Damn, should've asked her for a name, it'd be better than just screaming for a child in general, but unfortunately she didn't have the magical ability to give her past self the foresight to do so, and the child in question was nowhere to be seen, so unfortunately, a nameless child would have to do. Though Lilith was quickly losing patients with the little girls antics. Way to run away from the one person who could keep her safe. Running away was smart, but running away leaving her own protection behind was less so. Dammit. This was why she never had kids.

    She could feel the sweat dripping off of her face, stinging her eyes with the salty produce of her own body. She couldn't quite decide if her muscles hurt, or were completely numb, though it was hard to argue with the feeling of muscle rubbing painfully against muscle. Her limbs burned with the effort, but the rush of adrenaline kept her heart and legs pumping at matching rhythms. And she was grateful for it, even if she did feel slightly dizzy. The pain had it's good points though, it meant she was alive to feel it.

     Despite being so close to a death she wanted no part of, she didn't feel afraid. Sure, she wasn't exactly happy with the turn of events, but fear wasn't there in her mind. Maybe it was because her situation was just so far from hopeless, maybe it was because she knew that as long as she was able to run, she would have a way out. Either way, she was glad for the calm, if anything she needed it, needed it to think, because thinking was everything now. Thinking put a meal in your belly when you could feel the hunger in your throat, thinking kept you out of the crosshairs of that person just waiting in the right place that you could have avoided otherwise. Thinking kept you, as you, and not within the ranks of a thousand faceless corpses bearing rotting jaws after living flesh. Thinking. Was everything. Survival of the fittest was just the starting point, survival of the smart another too, but with both on your side, it wasn't just survival- it was living.

      Unfortunately, sometimes thinking wasn't enough. Sometimes it was too slow, but mostly, sometimes nothing was enough to save everyone. Which was why Lilith had stopped trying. Only, she had really meant to try with that small child.

     Which was why it was so depressing when Lilith heard that familiar scream. This time it was much louder, cutting off midway through, leaving nothing but a chilling silence to fuel the imagination, and the chorus of dead spilling into the serenity of the beautiful lush forest. That was it, and it was final. No take-backs, no do-overs.

Lilith would never get to know that little girls name.

      The herd faltered in their efforts to follow after Lilith, who had managed to stay out of their sight just long enough for them to find the echoes of the strangled cry more appealing than the ghost of a much faster prey. As soon as the woman realized this, she allowed herself to slow down a fraction, being sure to keep a tree in between herself and the majority of the herds line of sight as she fled towards the farm. She would take a roundabout way there, just to be sure that any strays wouldn't lead the whole lot of them in the direction of what could be a safe haven for the rest of the week. There was no need to head towards the highway anymore. The group that poor child left behind didn't need to know, it was better off giving them the tiniest wish that she was still alive. Maybe with another group far, far away.

    Shaking off the sliver of grief, Lilith sucked in a sharp breath, continuing forwards with her half empty water bottle sloshing at her hip, bow rattling against the quiver slung on her shoulder. She gripped the pole of her scythe, the cool steel offering a hard comfort, as well as the reassuring weight of her backpack weighing her down, grounding her to the here and now.

 It was too long before she felt it was safe to turn around again. Constantly changing direction helped her to shake off the dead meat on her tail, and is helped to get another perspective of her surroundings. It's kinda amazing how easily a fully grown anyone can be concealed by the stick thin tree trunks, but it happened. Shuffling around made that risk slightly less... Risky. 

 Thankfully, the trickling steam came into earshot relatively quickly. It barely took another hour to arrive at its bank, flanking its side once more, resuming her march as though nothing had interrupted her in the first place. 

      She felt the hair on her neck stand up, goosebumps running down her arms as she continued to walk across the cracking earth. Ears straining to pick up any sound apart from her own ragged breathing, and of course, the ever present sound of running water. It felt as though she was being watched, followed, by something, though despite her best efforts she found no culprit to speak of. Heh, she was really losing the plot if she thought someone was following her anymore, as if anyone still alive had time for that sort of thing, unless they wanted to take her gear- but if that were true, she'd be surrounded already, or maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she was in the crosshairs right as she was thinking this, perhaps she'd never know if she was being trailed, it would only take a second, and she'd be truly forever oblivious to the world.

    Despite the paranoia running circles throughout her mind, she felt pretty good about herself, sure she was pretty sour over losing her little companion, but she had still essentially been a stranger, so the sting wasn't too bad. She was on track for a pretty good place to go for food, it was a farm after all, and she was fairly certain Autumn was the season of harvest. Or Fall, as they called it over here. She also remembered that the man who owned the place was a vet or something, so perhaps she'd find something else of value other than food? Either way it would be nice to visit the place for nostalgia purposes if anything. She had really enjoyed the festival at the time, it'd marked the first steps into freedom after all, and she'd actually gotten to see real fireworks! Not just murky pixels on an old dusty screen, real explosions of sparkling colour blooming noisily like flowers of fire in the night sky. Light that could rival the stars in Lilith's top three favourite pretty things, she really liked sparkly things in general. Earning her the nickname Magpie by most of her coworkers.

      She didn't miss the old world, but she did miss fireworks. Nobody was left to set them off anymore, and flashy, noisy things were now just a magnet for trouble. A real tradegy. 

    It was early evening by the time Lilith reached the familiar patch of land of the Greene's farm, and as she stopped at the treeline she felt herself sag with relief. Her body ached as though she'd been beaten with a cane until her skin was black and blue, and moving made her joints rub painfully, a dry friction that made simply standing a chore. Damn she couldn't wait to unload in an actual bed for the night- she'd check the perimeters and scour the area and sleep soundly for the first time in weeks. She could feel the confusing fog clouding over her mind, a reminder of the unnamed sickness that dwelled there. The past few weeks had been fast in draining her, both physically and mentally.

 

    In fact, she was so tired, that it was only after she had trudged her way through the thick field of long grain and grasses, bones creaking with the weight of keeping herself upright after the long days she had suffered, until she noticed the muffled voices coming from inside. In fact, she hadn't even really noticed the small flickerings of light coming from deep inside the building through one of the large front windows. Somebody was inside that large farmhouse with the charming green roof and the tasteful front porch. Someone very much alive. And as her fingers slithered away from the chilly brass door handle, her breath hitched in her throat as she realized that she was far too out in the open by any measure of comfort.


	4. At least it was warm-ish

Maybe crawling into the attic hadn't been the smartest idea, but at the time it had seemed like it-- or at the very least it had seemed not awful. Which, in all fairness, it wasn't, but it certainly wasn't ideal. She'd heard muffled footsteps approaching from within, slow and relaxed, as though the world hadn't gone to shit with the threat of corpse walking around trying to take a bite out of the living. and it was at this moment, she had realized the predicament she was caught in. See, these people were obviously pretty laid back as far as survival was concerned, and from what she could see judging from the low proximity of the sun on the horizon, it was just a little past what most Americans considered tea- or dinner as they called it here. And what better way to finish a meal, than a nice lounge on the porch on a warm evening such as this?

    The problem with this, was that, in her tired and disoriented mind, there was little place to hide in the expanses of grassy fields surrounding the property. And there was little chance she could make the sprint without getting spotted, and possibly followed. Or shot. Neither of which really appealed to her. 

   Of course, now that she was awake and fully alert, she now saw nothing but hiding places from her little crawlspace in the attic. Hell she could have even just dropped flush against the floor, the grass was more than long enough to cover her, and then some. But no. She'd decided instead, to scramble up the side of the patio, clawing at the fairly new looking coat of creamy white painted wooden beams for purchase. Heaving her exhausted body up as quickly as she dared, taking care to muffle her shuddering breaths against whitened lips pressed firmly together. With teeth clamping down on them for good measure. 

    For a heart stopping moment, she had skittered against the walls after her fingers, by then slick with sweat, lost traction against the 90 degree angle of the surface. Further startled by the sound of a door creaking open softly in the breeze, a figure that she couldn't quite see- or rather, focus on, from where she was.

    She heard a deep intake of breath, and then a dreamy huff of air, pitch a little too high to be a man. And she very muched hoped that whoever that was, was enjoying the starry nights sky too much to pay any attention towards her. Her feet tucking over the side of the lower roof of the porch just before the unknown figure could spot her dangling in the wind. Heh, hiding, yes, good plan great plan-- but now what? 

   There wasn't really anywhere else to go but up at this point, so she did, very carefully. See, roof's are tricky little fuckers, in the sense that rather than being nice and solid, as you'd expect from something that protects what's under the damn thing from the elements. No. That's not what they are. They're little liars, and they're covered in very easily dislodged slates, slippery slates, almost like scales. Scales that break very easily. A design that's designed the way it is for rain, and really anything else that falls in it, to then slide down into the gutter. The problem here being that Lilith was, indeed, an anything, and she was also very capable of sliding off into the gutter. Then right into the lap of whoever she was hiding from.

   So, after almost half an hour of painstakingly slow progress of scrambling up towards the middle of the structure-- muscles screaming in protest against the strain of keeping her appendages under her, she realized something else. The greene family farmhouse was a beautiful building. It was fairly large, with perhaps three floors, including the attic, each tier with it's own roof painted a charming dull green. 

    She had another two roof's to climb. And the relieved, muted laughter very quickly morphed into a low, drawn out whine. Her legs wobbling underneath her as her arms rested on the second floors surface. If she couldn't see the bedroom light through the little window just to her left, she would have figured it much easier to just climb inside and get to the attic from there. Alas, she could see with her own two eyes, that someone was currently very much in the way of that much more appealing sounding plan, so she resolved herself to instead continue grudgily hauling herself upwards. And then robbing them blind later. 

    Part of her actually was a little curious as to what had happened to the family that she had known to live here though. They'd been friendly folk, as far as most people went. A little stiff but pleasant to be around, at least judging on first and only impressions. She didn't really remember them all by name, but she faintly recalled meeting a very large man, built like a tank if the tank in question was made of lard, as he'd introduced her into the hunting circle of Georgia. As well as the guy who gave the place it's name, an elderly man with sternly eyes that left an impression. She  remembered he worked as a vet of sorts, and that he was a very...set in his ways kind of man, but not much else. Lilith sighed as she rolled herself onto the ledge, hooking her arms in a wide arc to get as much traction as possible. Maybe one of them at least had gotten out alive, that'd be nice. 

      She didn't know how the hell she was gonna get down, but she'd figure it out. Probably. She'd just have to wait until the people here moved on, which, hopefully, was their plan. She didn't really want these folks' blood on her hands if it wasn't necessary, and she had to fight the unwanted bubble of excitement in her stomach at the thought. Looking for trouble wasn't the best way to go about this shit. She certainly wasn't above murdering a group of innocents for her own sake, nor did the thought disturb her. The only saving grace was that she had the restraint not to act, unless provoked. If they didn't move on then she could always try and slip her way out back the way she'd come. If she was careful anyway.

     After a little fiddling, the small window leading into the attic popped right open, thankfully. She shrugged off her load, pushing it against the wall. The musty smell of cobwebs and dust permeated the squat space, the ceiling slanting with the roof, so she had to crouch once she slipped herself inside legs first. Pulling her bagpack in after her. The drafty room making her thankful for the warm Georgian nights.

      Looking around, the space wasn't too much to sneeze at, filled with a small cluster of large boxes, otherwise being completely empty. Poking inside didn't yield anything useful, she found a few old photographs and worn, crinkled clothes three sizes too small. The dim light made it hard to see much, and she noted that quite a few of the boxed held a significant weight. For an added safety measure, she pushed up the heaviest she could find against the trap-door. The only entrance leading into the space.

      The others, she decided to arrange into a small circle around herself. In the unlikely event anyone decided to take a look-see into the attic, at least nobody would notice her at first glance.

     A scratchy, but large, sky blue colored blanket had been stuffed down the side of one of the boxes that had been hidden by it's brethren. Lilith made a happy chirping noise as she wrapped herself up into her prize. Only mildly put off by the feeling of her filthy skin ruining the warm surface, feeling the grease and much wipe off against it.

  She did, however, find a few tattered pictures of the fireworks she remembered. Of course, it was of little worth apart from memorabilia, and maybe tinder if it got to that. Which it already had, and probably would in the future, and as she settled down for the night. Knowing that she was somewhat safe with the pile of boxed surrounding her, she pocketed the picture filled with memories before drifting off into the most restful sleep she'd enjoyed in weeks.


	5. Watching is Half The Fun

Dawn hit Lilith's eyes hard, though it wasn't really the brightness that woke her up. It was the sudden heat that roused her from the deep slumber she had been enjoying. The glorious light seeping through the cracks and crevasses only becoming part of the problem when the peeled her eyelids back a fraction. The gummy glue of sleep making such a simple act the chore of the century, and she squinted against what might as well have been a laser shining straight into her eyeball.

    With an unhappy hum, she stiffly shuffled over onto her right side. Turning her face away from the offending light source with the full intent to go back to sleep. This is not what happened, unfortunately. With a tired groan, she pushed herself upwards, it was...noisy, outside, and her brain, exhausted from weeks of constant movement, didn't quite register the sound. She knew she heard something, but it just felt like, well, noise, she couldn't attach a source to it, just remaining vaguely aware that something was creating it. 

    Then the fog cleared. It was screaming. She jolted from her place on the floor, were she had her head propped stiffly against her bag, snatching at her hunting knife and jumping up unto a crouched position. Staring madly each and every way, fully expecting to be surrounded by whoever...hadn't? Seen her? Huh, the room was empty, and there was no sign that anybody but her had disturbed the place either. In fact, she could have sworn that the noises downstairs were moving away from the house. Or was something running towards it? Too many sounds to sift through in such a confined area.

    Allowing herself to ease onto her knees, she crawled through a small gap in the surrounding boxes to peer out through one of the windows. Cringing as her eyes grew accustomed to the intense glare. It took a minute, but when her eyes finally focused, she spotted five figures spilling out from below into the front yard, looking quite bewildered, but apparently being the ones mostly responsible for the noise. 

    Though, they had reason- the reason currently sprinting it's way through the long grass opposite from the trees Lilith herself had emerged. It was too far away to make out any defining details, though the yelling sounded male, and it seemed to be carrying something. Upon closer inspection, Lilith realized, it wasn't a thing he was actually carrying, it was a body, the man running as hard as he physically could towards the house, screaming the whole way. Two other figures struggling to catch up a ways behind, though one was significantly larger, with it's companion frantically ushering it along, movements making its frustration at the other pace very apparent.

      Ah shit, this place was quickly becoming more and more dangerous. More sets of eyes, and with all that damn screaming they'd all be lucky if they hadn't called on yesterdays heard. Then again, she'd led them off in the opposite direction, so maybe, maybe they'd managed to meander out of earshot. Hopefully.

       Even so, she continued to observe the happenings below with great interest. This was probably the most drama she'd witnessed for months, her own kinda died down after about two weeks, she'd become highly desensitized to it all. This, however, was unpredictable, and she didn't really have much else of a choice to pass the time. 

      She watched the man with a body in his arms tear across the property without pause, clutching what Lilith managed to identify as a child just before the lower roof blocked them from view. Looks like today was going to be far from quiet, which was a shame, considering Lilith had been mostly planning to snooze away the hours. Catching up on precious sleep was an important job after all. Plus it wasn't like she had much else to do, other than perform a little maintenance on her gear. Napping was far more important.

    She could hear the commotion from inside the building quite loudly below her, metallic rattling that sounded almost like wheels rumbling softly through the framework. The vibrations were barely noticeable, but it was enough for Lilith to give up on her mission of getting some more snoozing time. The hum carrying through the structure and becoming magnified by the small space of the attic, where she was.

     Didn't they know some people were trying to be lazy? Sheesh, excuse her for starving to death and needing to conserve energy and shit. Whatever was going on down there clearly took priority. 

    With little else to keep her occupied, she carefully shuffled over along the floor- being mindful of the rattling and groaning of wood taking her weight. There were many people awake and alert downstairs, she had to take more care to stay quiet. Though even with how quiet she was being, she still couldn't properly make out anything tangible from the unaware residents down below.

       The inability to really hear what was going on was irking at the least. She really wanted to know what had gotten everyone so riled up, especially with the dead up and walking around. Really, you'd think that people would be more numb to trivial shit, the actual problems taking a backseat in favor of the actual drama going on.

       Maybe...maybe, if she was super duper careful. She could, sneak down? Just for a little bit? Scope out the group, even snatch a little food while she was at it...

      Regardless how dumb it probably was, she slipped a blade into her waist, sheath and all, and carefully popped open the trapdoor leading into the house. It didn't have one of those fancy staircases to get in and out, so she judged the height before dropping down. Deciding that it was low enough for her to jump up and clamber inside when she returned back.

     Her fall made a much louder thump than she had first anticipated, and she bent her legs to accommodate the impact. Luckily, it seemed that nobody had heard it, or even payed it any mind. So she was free to continue moving stealthily through the top floor, keeping an ear open for any suprise encounters hiding away in their rooms. Moving as though she was in a damn video game, trying to creep her way past sentries surveying the hallways. Which, arguably, weren't all that long, though travelling at the painstakingly snail-pace that Lilith was going, it felt much longer.

     She didn't risk ducking into any of the rooms branching off on each side, as all of the doors were tightly shut against prying eyes. The staircase at the far end offered a far bigger challenges than a shut door though. Every single damn step creaked somethin' awful. Did these people not know what home maintenance was? The thing was practically ready to break under the slightest pressure. Or maybe she was just too stressed about her impromptu ninja stake-out session. Either way she was nevertheless, much more amused than she would have been otherwise. 

    She managed to get to the stairs leading down to the first floor before she was forced to stay put.   Footsteps from just a few feet away keeping her at bay, as she dared not risk getting spotted. It sounded like just a couple of people though, and the sound of a door opening, then closing a few moments later gave her the confidence to give tip-toeing down a shot. Which she did, admiring the pretty, very American-Pie interior decor as she slipped past the front door. Taking a second to peer into the room to its right to find--oh shit. Hershel? Jesus Christ, that really was the old dude! Heck, she'd say a quick hello if she wasn't currently breaking-and-entering, without the breaking part. It was a relief to see the man alive and well though, him and the lady that she couldn't remember the name of. Both of them seemed to be busily fussing over a table of tools she was too low to see, crouching to peek from the bottom of the door frame. There was a visible pair of small feet poking from the top of a metal table, a very uncomfortable makeshift bed, with a thin bed sheet spread over the surface. Most likely the little kid she'd spotted being carried in a few minutes ago.

     Well, wonder what that story was all about. She'd probably find out somewhere along the line, food and water was a little more important than whatever was happening here. Plus, if whoever's on that thing really is dead, she'd be plenty safe up in the attic.

    Seeing that there was, in fact, nothing edible in this room, she decided to get gone before someone noticed her peeking. It was only a matter of time before someone came up behind her anyway. 

     As she shuffled away, she heard a female voice murmur something to Hershel,

    "You smell that? Somethin' stinks somethin' awful in here" she complained. Lilith could see the look of disgust, face scrunched up at the smell in her minds eye.

     The old man scolded her, gently, keeping his voice soft in a heavy southern accent, "Hush now Patricia, boy's been on the road a spell, can't help none if he's whiffy".

     Damn, she really did need a bath. She sniffed at her shirt, shrugging at the sweaty scent mingled with husk and iron. She imagined that, had she not become pretty blind to it, she'd have been much more revolted. Heh, thank god that kid was dying, or she'd have been, quite literally, sniffed out before she even made any progress. Yay her. Not so yay for him.

      Though she had been to the estate before, once, a pretty long time ago. She'd never actually set foot in the house before, so she'd didn't really know where it was she was going. She could still hear a muffled conversation, coming from what sounded like right outside on the front porch. Now she'd never really been all that much of an eavesdropper, but right now, she was a ninja, and ninja's were also spies. Probably. Either way she was gonna listen in a little.

 

"He's alive? He's still alive?" a man's voice asked. Or more liked heaved, very obviously out of breath, as she could hear the sound of panting through the door. Though she didn't hear a response, if there even was one, instead a soft voice seemed to murmur something from the side, and she heard rustling sounds of someone rummaging through a bag. 

 "s'okay... You've got blood--" 

 More silence, then a footstep towards the door her ear was planted against being the only warning to duck away. Heart in her mouth, she quickly flattened herself against the doors hinges, biting back a curse as the door swung open. Several pairs of feet stepping inside and walking off into the room were Hershel's and the boy were inside. 

  Without thinking, she moved to follow, shuffling carefully across the space in a hunched-over crouch until she was at the doorway. What was she doing? She nearly just got caught-- this was how death happened! Had she lost her damn mind?! Still, she didn't make a move to step away, instead her mouth twisting into a lopsided frown as she shifted to get a better standpoint. 

 A voice she recognized spoke up abruptly, and she jumped as she hastened to pay attention. 

"you know his blood type?" Hershel asked, though he sounded flustered, the words still managed to sound somewhat gentle.  

 Another she hadn't heard before shakily replied, "A positive, s-same as mine" 

"That's fortunate," Hershel commented, and she could imagine the old man's bushy white eyebrows furrowing,  as he added a little more sternly "don't wander far 'm' gonna need ya, what happened?", everyone apparently had settled, though noticeably rattled. 

"I was --trackin' a buck... Bullet went through it. Went clean through" another familiar voice whispered, one she recognized as... Was it Otis? He sounded so far away from the kindly man that had patiently taught her her way around America's hunting laws and customs. He sounded shaken, and very small. 

"The deer slowed the bullet down, which certainly saved his life. But it did _not_ go through clean, it broke up into peices, i can get the bullet fragments out--I count six" the old man sounded tired, but determined. He was working right now, he had a job to do. She smiled, at least he sounded unchanged, he still sounded like a man she could respect. At least this world hadn't taken that small victory away from her. 

Otis spoke again, though it didn't sound as though it was still directed to hershel. Tearfully murmuring, "I  never saw him, not until- he was on the ground".

There was a pause in the conversation. The silence lingering just a few seconds before the sound of feet shuffling broke it. 

 "Lori doesn't know..." Mr.type A sobbed softly, the wet in his trembling voice hinting at soon to be shed tears. "My wife doesn't know, my wife doesn't know" it continued to weep, and Lilith found herself sighing at the sound of the broken man being shushed as his friend cooed wordless nothings of comfort to him as he continued to weep. 

_____

"why'd i let him come with us? I shoulda sent him with Lori" Mr. Type A laments, hunched over in his seat on the sofa. Sitting right on its edge with his arms leaning on his knees. 

His friend shook his head, or at least, that's what it looked like. She couldn't be certain from her spot hiding at the lounges door frame. Reckless, yes, but she was way too entertained to play it safe-- not when the alternative was so.... Dull. "y'know you start that...you'll never get that monkey off yer back" he drawled, voice respectfully dry. Exhausted. 

There was a pause, and lilith inched just a fraction closer. 

 "little girl goes missing... You look for her, simple. You said call it, head back--" 

"--don't matter what i said" venomously interrupted. Though he kept his voice low and controlled. Mr. Type A didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care.  

"Carl got shot because I wouldn't cut bait it should be me in there" he asserted, offering no response. Huh, Carl? That must be the little fella's name, poor little shit. 

 His friend chuckled without humour, "... You been there partner, right? You pulled through it, so will he" he asserted. Voice too worn to really sound very confident. 

"s'that why I got outta that hospital? Found my family for it to end here like this like some kinda s-sick joke?" Type A spat out as if the words on his tongue were formed of acid. Shaking his head as though the mere action would render the idea void. 

This time the anger in his friends voice sounded much more pronounced, as though he were scolding the grown ass man beside him, "stop it. Just stop".

Again, Type A took no notice, "... Little girl goes missing. You look for her 's' plain an simple". No, no it wasn't. Before you had the chance to mentally retort to the guy though, a door somewhere that wasn't were you were slammed open, and someone hidden from your line of sight called for the two men.  

 "Rick" she said, her voice thick with the same southern drawl that everyone in the damn house seemed to share. She, like many in this house, was someone lilith remembered, though she couldn't name the face that popped into her mind. Just acknowledged that she was one of Hershel's girls,the eldest if memory served right. Though that single word had held so much urgency that even Lilith found herself feeling concerned for a few seconds. Then she remembered that these people had nothing to do with her, so whatever it was, it didn't really matter. At least, unless it involved walking corpses, or a bad bunch of strangers. Damn, how would she snake her way out of that mess if it came to that? She had every confidence that the old man would bring it to a standoff with either, and she couldn't exactly go prancing off while bullets were flying, especially if the bullets were going both ways. It'd be damn near a no-mans-land. Even more so than what was normal now.

 Since both of the men stood up at the woman's voice, Lilith had no way of telling who exactly "Rick" was. Though she had an inkling it was Mr. Type A, since he seemed to be the kids father, and since she'd followed the lot of them back into the makeshift infirmary, she guessed it had something to do with him, 'n' boy howdy had things livened up in there in the half an hour they'd been gone. She couldn't see it, but she could paint a pretty detailed picture based on the noise coming from that room. From what she could hear, that child was either possessed or having a serious seizure. Sounds of grunting and rattling matching the sounds of fatherly distress and shouting. Hershel was barking orders at everyone with a spare pair of hands, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that this Rick guy had gone into shock at the sight of his boys body giving out on him.

"He needs blood" Hershel's daughter informed the two men, though she was barely audible over the sounds of Carl sobbing. The pitiful sound even made Lilith's heart twist for the little guy. He was in so much pain. You'd think they'd have put the poor bugger out of his misery by now. There was no room in this world for a child. Hindrances like that got you and everyone around you killed, and it wasn't fair on them to bear witness to it. They should just let him slip away,while it was relatively peaceful. 

"You! Hold him down" Hershel's barked, and someone complied, since no further instructions were yelled. 

"... Aaalmost there" 

 It was this moment, Carl chose to scream particularly loudly. The blood curling kind of scream that sends chills down the spine of whoever was in earshot, and Rick didn't really handle it too gracefully. 

"STOP YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" he cried, voice high and bordering hysterical, though Hershel was having none of it. 

"Rick! D'you wan'im to live?!" 

"He needs blood!" Patricia tried, and after a heartbeat of hesitation, the second unnamed man ran out of patience. 

"DO IT NOW!" 

 Then everything went deathly still. An eerie calm that didn't belong after such chaos. For a moment, Lilith feared the worst, and apparently she wasn't the only one. 

"W-w-wait wait, wait--" 

"He's just passed out" Hershel soothed, and both hr and Lilith breathed a small sigh of relief. She wasn't heartless, despite what her actions said in spite of that. She didn't want a small life to be lost just as much as anyone else. It was the larger lives she was less sympathetic towards. 

Someone heaved a heavy sigh,  "One down... Five to go". 

 It would have been funny if a kid wasn't hanging on by a thread. She snickered anyway. 

____

Everything had gradually calmed down after that close call. Hershel's girl and Otis had moved themselves to the lounge, and after much shuffling around, Lilith had eventually made her way to the other side of the building, wanting to keep an eye on the happenings with the kid. If anyone died she needed to know, since she didn't fancy on walking into a fun house of dead people should things turn sour while she was upstairs. That being said, she was still being careful, if anyone snuck up behind her shed be trapped bad.

  Rick, his mystery friend and Hershel had remained by Carl's side, Patricia moving in and out as she carried around medicines. Something that sounded like pumping filled the silence beyond the door, then soft hiss as the pressure released, and something shifted. 

It's seemed fitting the old man was the one to break it, "Pressures stable". 

Nobody offered anything up at this, but Rick took the opportunity to speak his mind, regardless of if it fit in with the topic at hand or not, "Lori needs to be here, she doesn't even know what's going on, I gotta go find here bring her back".

 Yeah, no, you needed to be here Mr. Type A! Your son needs your bodily fluids to _not_ die don't you go frolicking around the countryside looking for a lady. Also she was pretty sure that this Lori lady would not appreciate her son dying just so he could tell her in person the kid had been shot. Jesus this guys skull was as thick as he was, how hard was it to grasp that his son was literally relying on him as a walking blood bank? Wasn't all that hard to understand pal. 

"Ya can't do that" hershel said simply, yeah! Listen to Hershel he knows what he's talking about. You tell him old dude. 

"She's his mother! She needs to know what's happening to her sons lying here shot". 

 Flawless argument there buddy. Well, to be fair he did have a point yeah the momma should probably know but not at the cost of you running off to do a dumb. 

"He's goin' to need more blood, he can't go more than 50ft from this bed" the old man countered, voice unwavering with a stern conviction. Right now, he was the father of the room, and dammit if these kids weren't gonna listen to 'em. 

 There was no more objection, but there was a scuffing noise, quickly followed by the sound of a heavy thud. Like footsteps, but just a little too loud. 

Mystery man whispered, barely audible through the door, "hey, hey, c'mon" 

"I' m alright".

Yeah. You _definitely_ sound it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So close yet so far~ wonder how long Lilith can stay hidden huh?  
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment, or even kudos if you enjoyed!  
> 'Till next time~


	6. Trapped Like a Rat But Still Fabulous

 It turned out that Rick's friend had had to talk him into staying put. Arguing that even without his sons whole depending on his blood for survival thing, he'd never let him leave his side, should anything happen while he was away, and had then set off himself to grab medical supplies with Otis in tow (despite Patricia's vehement protests). Then Hershel's daughter had volunteered to go fetch Carl's mother, and had brought back this Lori lady all before the day was done, and her reaction to the little boy lying in that bed had been nothing short of horrified. Though it was quiet, and all things considered her thoughts on poor Otis, who'd apparently shot the kid in the first place in a hunting accident, was relatively good. Considering most mothers would have already hunted him down and eviscerated him on sight. 

 By midnight, the nameless mystery man had arrived safely back to the farm, minus Otis, and two members of Rick's crew had taken to holing up in the lounge. With the promise of the rest following suit in the morning. 

 As much as she tried to tell herself otherwise, it really sucked that Otis hadn't made it back. Though she couldn't help but notice how quick mystery boy had been to distance himself from everyone. It must've been bad out there. From what she could see, this new group was fairly larger than what was present here, though she couldn't tell if they were still alive due to survival skill or just plain dumb luck. Probably the latter--hopefully the latter. If it wasn't, there was a lot higher chance she'd be discovered before she got much out of this, or before she was really ready to move on. Damn, this place was clearly occupied, so where to now? The whole damn country, if not the wold was a giant shit show. The coast didn't sound like a good idea, for the sole reason that it probably sounded like a good one to everyone else. Areas with dense populations were a no go, even more so now than ever. The dead would always flock to sniff out the living. 

 She'd stayed down for a while, long enough to learn the names of the two newcomers at least, and that one of em had gotten hurt pretty bad. Or at least that's what it sounded like, if his pained grunting was anything to go by. She'd only caught glances of them, like she'd only caught glances of everyone else, but T-dog was almost at least ninety percent sure was black. With a pretty squat, meaty frame frame. The other guy lanky and somewhat tall-ish, and was called Glenn, though there was a pretty high chance she'd mixed them up. She wondered what T-dogs real name was, or if that really was his name. Who in their right mind would name a kid T-dog anyway? Yeah, must be a nickname. 

 Food, also food, she'd swiped a few bits and pieces from the backs of the cupboards. Mostly stuff that wouldn't be missed, can or two of what she hoped to god were lychees, and another can of beans. The latter of which she'd been quick to tip back whole after retreating back to the safety of her little hobble. The one that technically wasn't hers but for now it was home base. It eased the gnawing hunger pains a little bit, considering how long it'd been since her last meal, her stomach seemed to have shriveled in size. That can had sat in her belly like a damn rock, and lethargy from her belly being full for once hit her like a hammer, though the nausea had set in just as heavily as the beans. 

 Waking up, once again, had been unpleasant. Though this time thankfully not from screaming, but instead from the sound of an obnoxiously loud bike... Of some sort. She wasn't very proficient in vehicles, of any kind. A chorus of low rumblings drew her attention back to the happenings outside, and she groaned in protest even as she pushed herself up. Grimacing at the feeling of sunlight on her greasy flesh. Damn she needed a bath, or five. She was practically wearing the layer of grime like a skinsuit now. 

Looking through the window, the two newcomers from yesterday had come out to greet the people spilling from the cars parked on the gravel outside of the farmhouse. They were all too far away to see very well, though from what she could see, her earlier suspicions of Glenn and T-dogg were correct. Though rather than lanky, Glenn just looked small, young, like a walking noodle. Not that she was much better. There were two more women milling around their respective vehicles, a blond woman wearing her hair in a ponytail, and though her clothing made up most of the bulk, her body looked strong. The other woman, hair clipped into an overgrown pixie cut of grey-white wisps differed greatly, she looked sparrow-like, ready to blow away in the wind, and her posture was no different. Hunched over like a cowering animal. 

 The culprit of the racket that had woken her up revealed himself as a man, fairly tall, though she couldn't really tell from where she stood above them all. Stocky bordering on lean, with short mousy blond hair that she couldn't decide if it really was blond or brown, with something strapped around his back that she couldn't make out. Next to him, a visibly older man stepped down out from an RV, sporting a large sunhat and a Santa Clause beer gut with a white beard growing around his jaw to match. Hmm. That RV could be a pretty good steal, if she was careful. Maybe if she got to it before they all settled in, she'd get some good spoils from it too--at least if they didn't set up camp by the end of the day. Hell, maybe if she was lucky they'd keep their shit inside even then. 

They all clustered together, converging just outside the front porch, though she could see they were locked in conversation, the lower roof blocked the other party from view. She couldn't help but notice that Glenn and Mr. Motorcycle had stayed behind. 

Heh, wonder what they're up to?

______

"Hey hey hey-- you see that?" Glenn called, turning his head to look back at the man behind him, darting his eyes back to the topic of interest once he saw Daryl gaze was focused on the same thing he was. 

 He hadn't noticed it during the night, well, to be  fair, none of them had. It was dark, and they had more pressing matters to attend to than the state of a damn wall. 

 Now it was different, now Carl looked to be on the mend--thank god. It was a wonder Shane had made it back in one piece, all things considered, but Glenn still felt pretty bummed that the other guy hadn't made it. The woman, Patricia? Well, she hadn't really taken the news very well, Rick and a hershel had broken the news to her just a few hours ago. Since them, she'd been giving everyone a pretty wide berth, and he tried to ignore the resentful looks sent his way. He knew she couldn't help it, she was grieving. 

 It still wasn't very fun though. That, and Sophia was still missing, Carol wasn't taking that well either. 

 It was a relief to finally have everyone back in one place together again. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't been a little on edge with the group fractured apart like this. W-well, Sophia was still missing yeah, but more or less everyone was together again. Which was good. Now he didn't have to worry that someone got... Lost, whilst they were gone.  

 Stepping a little closer, Glenn inspected the scuff marks running up along the otherwise pristine white wall. Face scrunched up a little as he wracked his brain to figure out what could have caused it. The rest of the building looked clean, heck, the paint almost looked brand new, with the exception of this part. It looked almost like something had tried crawling straight up the side of the building. Something messy. It just didn't sit right, looking at it made him feel like... Like something was wrong. 

 Beside him, Daryl had already walked right up to it, palm laying flat against the woodwork. Studying the marks with a steadily increasing concern worrying the inside of his cheek as he chewed over the possibilities. 

 "Problem here guys?" a voice interrupted, and Glenn startled just a little as both men turned to greet the intruder. Rick strolled up to them with a tired smile in his eyes, pale, but none the worse for wear. Even if he did look like he'd been dragged through a bush backwards. The man beside him offered no response, so Glenn filled him in instead. 

"Y-yeah uh, just, this? Doesn't look right" he stammered, jabbing a thumb towards the marks, feeling just a tiny bit self conscious at the action. Silly it might be, but with the way things were, even if it turned out to be nothing, if wasn't worth taking the chance. 

 By now, everyone had moved to group around the former sheriff. They seemed to sense the atmosphere like animals, faces wearing confused frowns in place of relieved grins,and Glenn felt the back of his neck turn hot. Face bright red. As much as he hoped it was nothing, now he kinda hoped it was. Else everyone think him frightened of his own damn shadow. Hey, it paid to be cautious okay. It was working well too, so far anyway, he was still alive wasn't he? 

 The old man stepped forwards, clad in a crisp white dress shirt and overalls. Looking every part the Georgian farmer. So far his face hadn't changed an inch from what had been fixed on his face since they got here. Mouth pressed into a thin line, eyes hard and stern. Though his general aura had brightened considerably since Carl had begun taking a turn for the better. He stopped just beside Rick, casting a sparing glance at the new arrivals with a sigh, "Something I should know about here?" he asked, a warning in his voice-- barely there, but a warning nonetheless. His eyes pointedly lingering on the weapons out on display, and their carriers. 

 Rick looked towards the two boys expectantly, "Not  sure yet, just wonderin' that myself, you two wanna fill us in?". 

 " 'S tracks runnin' up the side o' the wall here" Daryl said, hand dropping from the wall and returning to his side, he turned around to face Rick, "reckon they're pretty fresh too" 

"Any chance that something got in, raccoon or somethin'?" Andrea chimed in, tensing a little, hand gravitating to the hilt of her gun. Though it remained holstered. 

"Nah, those are shoe prints, no animal I heard' made these" 

 "Now that ya mention it, there've been a few messes back in the house, I figured it was just y'all trackin' muck into the house-- trails all up to the top floor" 

_____

Everyone had eventually settled down pretty well after about a half hour of awkward hellos and introductions. In fact it was actually astonishing how careless both parties were about the concerns they'd noticed. Lilith could have laughed at the groups complete disregard for safety, even when apparently trying to make their new camp as 'safe' as possible. They held what looked like a memorial service for Otis, well. That's what they are all doing now, they'd all been out there for a while and. Well. Lilith really, really needed to pee. 

 Okay okay, so to be fair, she'd needed to go for about half a day now. She'd thought that by now she'd have had the foresight to grab a bucket or something, but she hadn't. So, after a plethora of poor decisions, she'd opted for the simplest, and, arguably, the stupidest, choice. 

 "This was a fucking dumb idea..." she grumbled to nobody in particular as she unbuckled her pants. Shimmying out of them to sit on the toilet seat, unsheathing her blade for good measure ans setting it carefully on the side. She wasn't about to lose a finger because she was too careless relieving herself no sirree. The thought of maybe taking a quick shower had briefly crossed her mind, but she'd shook it off just as quickly as it'd come. She was risking a lot as it was, but uh, she doubted luck would take her that far. 

 Every single trickle and groan of wood taking her weight made her jump halfway to next Sunday, the unnatural loudness of every single minuscule sound in the silence sounding louder than a damn thunderstorm. Then, as if she needed _help_ in shitting herself, the door downstairs swung oven, hinges creaking as a pair or three footsteps thudded inside. Chattering sullenly amongst themselves. 

 Realizing her time was up, she stood slowly, dressing herself as quietly as she could. Feet somewhere padded up the stairs, floorboards protesting as feet trotted into a room that, thankfully, wasn't the bathroom. 

 Perfect, now that she'd emptied her bowels, all she had to do was sneak off back to the attic right? Simple--cakewalk. Who'd be dumb enough to balls that up right? 

 It was only out of habit that she pulled the chain.  

 Her stomach dropped as she realized her mistake a split second too late. The roaring sound of water almost mocking as she furiously tried to backtrack and shut the damn thing up. The damage, however, had been done, the noise seemed to bloom in the quiet as loud as it had been a gunshot at point blank range in her ears. The pipework didn't help matters either, as they shuddered violently within the walls. 

 Whoever had passed by just moments ago took little notice at first, though their tune quickly changed once they finished their business. Trotting downstairs to find everyone accounted for, and soon people were shouting back and forth. 

 She wasted no time whatsoever in hightailing it the hell back into the attic. Almost running face first into the wall as she skidded to a halt under its entrance. Hastily stopping short of slamming the trapdoor shut, easing it closed just as Hershel's daughter stepped into view. With Lori in toe soon after. She watched them with her jaw clenched tight. 

 "There's nobody here Hun, you sure you didn't mishear something--" 

 Maggie cut her off shortly, body visibly tense as she scanned the empty hallway. "Nonono I'm tellin' you, someone was up in here". Meanwhile, Lori seemed to be more concerned with the younger woman's, frankly, quite rude interruption (even if it was warranted. Since if she knew Lilith was literally right above them, watching, she'd probably be singing a very different tune. A very panicky and not at all condescending tune).

"But sweetie I was downstairs and everyone else is outside" 

"I know what I heard" 

"... Well, r-right well, let's go tell the others, maybe someone just slipped by us?" Lori reasoned. Gently moving to steer the younger woman away, back downstairs. Though cringing away as though she'd been burned when Maggie good-naturedly shrugged her hands off. 

 A few moments later, and they were completely out of sight. Lilith waiting a few minutes longer before she moved again. Just in case Hershel's daughter had been tempted to remain and mull over her concerns. 

 Ohoho thank fuck for large groups. Maybe she'd lucked out? They didn't seem to be on high alert yet, or at all. Well granted Hershel's girl seemed a bit spooked but, maybe she'd caught a break? 

______

Rick was hunched over in the corner, sitting right beside the chair his wife had been glued to for the past few hours. Back aching at the too rigid angle his back was forced into, the wall just as unforgiving for his back as the floor was to his arse. His son had been declared mostly in the clear for now, but he had still yet to open his eyes, and he was still a deathly shade of white-- which wasn't too far off from what he probably looked like. With all of that blood of his pumping around in Carl's veins. He felt rough, beyond rough, but even despite the dull aching of his joints, he felt relieved, happy. His son was gonna pull through. He could feel it. He just needed time. The end of the world was more than happy to oblige. 

 He was broken out of his trance by Hershel- whatever god there was, bless that man, stepping a little too quickly into the rooms. Blinking away the grogginess that had at some point seeped right down to his bones, he moved to stand. Catching the odd look that flashed in the old mans eyes as he nodded for them to leave, and falling into step behind him. That was weird. He almost looked...angry. 

 It turned out, he was, indeed upset. Though that was putting it lightly. The older man was furious, his lips white and tightly pressed into a thin, wrinkled line. Bushy grey eyebrows knitted together in a scowl that almost made Rick feel as though he was years younger, about to be scolded by the old man down the road. He found himself swallowing nervously, guilt seeping through his consciousness before he remembered, he hadn't done anything. At all. At least, he didn't think so. 

 The old man turned on him almost as soon as they were out of earshot, whirling around faster than Rick's mind could register. Long, controlled breaths whistling from his nostrils. 

 "My Maggie found a knife in the upstairs bathroom" he began coolly, holding the blade out carefully for the younger man's inspection. His eyes flashed over the shimmering steel, expression unsure, and Rick found himself staring at the man before him. He found a knife in the bathroom? He hadn't seen that before, he couldn't really think what the issue was. After trying, and failing, for a moment to come up with the answer on his own, he eventually caved, "Sorry you've lost me, what is it that yer sayin' here?" he frowned.

"What I'm saying is, I don't appreciate your people bringing weapons into my home" Hershel stressed, trying very hard to keep the upset quiet, lest he disturbed the child resting on the other side of the wall. Only, instead of understanding flashing across Ricks face like he'd hoped, all he was met with was more confusion. Which was understandable. That knife didn't belong to him-- or his people, for that matter. He'd seen all of their gear, that thing wasn't anything like all the switchblades and cheap trinkets he'd seen around camp. The blade was vicious, with a wicked curl at the tip, that was a hunting knife. Something you'd see in a specialist kind of store, with pride of place in some kind of display box. Even Daryl hadn't turned up anything like that. 

 "Hold on hold on, you're saying one of my group left that there? look I'm sorry but--I've seen everyone's stuff, I ain't seen anything like that floatin' around at all" Rick confessed, eyebrows raised just like his hands, halfway in surrender. 

"Well someone left it there, and my Bethy almost got injured in her own home not knowing there were dangerous weapons left lying around--I don't want weapon on my farm, I thought we cleared that" 

"We did, and we're keeping all the guns locked up in the RV, knives are just a precaution" 

"Well... Please clear it with everyone, they're not to bring them into my home" 

"Will do, understood" Rick nodded appealingly. A gentle grin stretching the corners of his mouth, as he sighed inwardly, relieved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those were some close calls, but from my experience. Every close call just makes people more alert to the danger that previously went unseen. But maybe that's just me. Ah, well, we'll see soon enough.  
>  Anyway, thanks for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed. If you did, why not leave a comment? Or maybe a kudos?  
>  Till next time~


	7. Caught

Uh oh. 

Everyone below stopped dead, and Lilith's eyes grew wide. She shifted, and Glenn staggered, eyes budging, pointing right at her.

Very uh oh. 

"Hey-- there's someone up there!" 

_VERY UH OH!_

"Everyone get inside! Someone's in the attic!" 

Oh shit this was bad. This was very bad. Lilith practically threw herself away from the window, scrambling to shove all of the boxes she could grab into a pile on the door. She'd been watching the group meandering outside, clustered together in what looked like a heated conversation. Hershel notably stuck to the sidelines, posture stiff as he watched over whatever Rick had decided to bring to everyone's attention. That had been when Glenn had chosen that exact moment to let his eyes wander--and thus, with Lilith standing right out in the open, she'd been spotted like a deer caught in headlights. 

 By the time she'd stacked the last one onto the pile, spitting a few choice curses as she went, someone was already slamming against it, trying to get inside. Several voices yelling in unison as she snatched her bag from her corner. Meanwhile, lilith could feel several years shaved off of her life from the close call. Her heart was beating in overdrive as she shuffled away from the only entrance. It was only a matter of time before someone got in, one way or another. Dammit! She'd She'd lasted like, a day, how was that in any way fair?! Why hadn't she thought of her tracks? She was caked in shit--why hadn't she even thought to, well, scrape some of it off or something? This was how death happened! Maybe if she'd thought ahead, she wouldn't have attracted so much attention so soon. 

 Then it hit her, if they were all there, under her feet,  then that meant she still had a chance. Snatching her bag from its corner and stuffing it out of the window all in one fluid motion, she made a break for it to escape the way she'd come in. She heard it slide down the roofs shingles and land with a dull thud, and she was quick to do the same. Throwing herself out head first as quickly and as carelessly as she dared, heart travelling to her throat as she rolled down the first upper flat. Body and head slamming down hard as she bounced off each of the structures roofs like a ping pong ball bouncing on its table. Only catching herself in time to drop down safely to the ground, fingers grasping desperately for a ledge, and she winced at the feeling of the rough slates tearing er fingertips to ribbons. When she finally caught on the gutter, dropping down after her body stopped swinging, and landing painfully on her rear. 

 Almost as soon as she made contact with the ground, however, she felt a rough pair of hands wrap around under her arms. Wrestling her upwards, and moving to pin her hands behind her back. Surprised, it took that long for her to realize she was being attacked, but when she did, she was quick to kick out at the strangers knees. And she heard a pained grunt next to her ear, and she threw her body forwards, taking the both of them to the ground. 

 Her face slammed into the dirt hard, so hard it left her more than a little dizzy. But she didn't wait for the dust to settle to start squirming aggressively in her captors loosened grip. And as soon as she wriggled free, she'd scrabbled to get out from under them, but those hands found her waist this time, and dragged her retreating form back. Twisting to maneuvered her body to out her flat on her back, and she allowed herself to be moved, only to use the momentum to slam her elbow into what she recognized as a mans head. Only sending the both rolling once more, but not achieving much. Since they only stopped once he was right back on top of her.

 Using his weight to his advantage, he steadied himself with his legs, pinning her arms down at an akward angle above her head, and at her waist. Not allowing her any movement with enough force to knock him off, though she tried. Oh she tried, bucking ferociously under him, snarling like an animal as she did, and was regarded with nothing but a tired grunt from the guy using her for bulk riding practice. 

 The two held their positions for a while, the stranger on top of her heaving as he took the chance to rest. Before his steely eyes hardened further, and he bent low, menacing eyes peering threateningly in her own. A warning on his lips as he made motion to speak. 

Only, he didn't get the chance. 

 With a sickening hacking sound, Lilith spat a thick glob of saliva right into the man's eyes, which he'd so kindly positioned inches from her own face. 

 The effect was instant, the weight obstructing her recoiled with a high pitched cry of varying amounts of pain and revulsion. And Lilith rolled backwards from underneath him and hopped upright in one fluid motion. 

Just as she was straightening on her feet, she felt her heart stop as something clicked softly next to her head. Followed by the sensation of something hard and cold pressing to the back of her spine. And it definitely wasn't a surprise can of welcoming peaches. Along with something thin, and sharp, pressing into the soft flesh at her neck. 

 "Easy now, wouldn't be movin' if I were you" a gruff voice cooly instructed. The warning in his tone very clear, and as if to insinuate his point, the pressure against her spine momentarily shifted. Digging into her upper back with the bite of a thousand knives.

Lovely. Great--just _great_ , yeah of course it'd just be her damn luck wouldn't it? Of course one of em had the brains to stay behind. Awesome, just swell on them. She might as well have just let herself fall and hope she landed on her neck--do them a favor and save them the bullet. Why the fuck hadn't she thought of that? She could've jumped down from the other side of the building, y'know, _instead_ of diving head first into where the group had just been. Well, she knew why she hadn't thought of that. 

She had _panicked_ is why she hadn't thought of that. 

 She didn't move, every single muscle in her body taught as taught could get. The only muscle that wasn't doing its best impression of Medusa's victims being her heart, which was pumping faster than a rabbits. And so hard that she could feel her pulse throbbing almost painfully in her throat. 

 The man at her back stayed just as still, or at least she presumed so since she hadn't felt him move. Nor had she heard the telltale sound of clothes rustling, but then again, she hadn't heard him to begin with. So for all she knew, he could've been doing the Salsa right now, and she'd have been completely oblivious. 

 After a more than a moment of doing her best not to puke in the back of her mouth. She finally calmed down enough to let her eyes swivel the ground around her feet. Scanning for her backpack, and internally screaming when she found it had landed a lot father from the house than she had. Sure it had, it was lighter than her, and it hadn't stopped itself mid-fall, so it'd unfortunately ended up a few feet away from her. Too far for her to lunge for the reapers best friend, which would've been greatly appreciated. She didn't fancy her chances in hand to hand combat against an unknown opponents, one that was obviously well fed. At least against her. And the range on that scythe--heck, even the things pole would've given her a much appreciated edge. 

 That being said. She wasn't about to let herself stand stock still for the guys group to make it back either. If they made it back before she wasn't at least halfway across that field, she'd be very much royally fucked over. 

 "Piss" Lilith groaned, head falling forwards in defeat, as she slowly raised her hands in surrender. The weapon holder at her back offered no response, though she felt him shift slightly at her movement. 

 "I call bullshit okay--I lasted a day. A day! Sir I demand we do this over, my pride won't stand lasting any less than three days--a week at best". 

 "Daryl I checked the back but I didn't see any--oh" a feminine voice interrupted. The blonde lady with the scruffy ponytail stopped just short of the pair, frustration pursing her lips melting away at the sight before her. Though Lilith was more focused on the weapon held securely in her hands, which were just as steady as her grip and she noticed the woman kept a good distance away from the both of them, taking out any opportunity of a switcheroo on the whole hostage situation. 

 Still. A slow, mischievous grin began stretching across Lilith's face. Eyes squinted against the sun, and she shifted one of her raised hands to block out the light. Nudging it in in a restricted gesture of welcome. 

  "Hey, glad you came to join the party, I get it y'know, with the whole end if the world and all, people are busy. Totally understandable. Just look as Mister Happyfeet back here, he was barely on time" she greeted warmly. Tone oddly light and airy, causing both strangers to pause, question flickering in both sets of eyes. Though only one pair was visible to the trapped brunette, who was roughly shoved forwards by the pointy thing at her back. The edge digging into the soft part of her back enough for the span of something wide to knock at her shoulder blades. The fuck was he holding at her? 

 "Best keep yer mouth shut" the man growled low in warning. Though the edge of what Lilith presumed to be a knife was withdrawn from her neck, in favor of supporting the mystery weapon at her back. 

 Far from about ready to follow orders. The woman he held in his crosshairs simply scoffed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, arms slowly lowering as they tired. "I'm being sandwiched by two strangers with pointy knives and loud shooty things I think the least you guys can allow me is to run my mouth a bit here Daryl". 

"You know his name?" the woman asked, eyes going wide in alarm. Lilith, however, just snorted, wiggling her eyebrows tauntingly at the stranger.

"I'd be kinda dumb not to since you just said it, lady" 

 She didn't reply, but instead took a second to give Lilith a once-over. Eyes searching over her from a safe distance, confident that with Daryl at her back, the evidently younger woman would have no choice but to stay put. 

That wouldn't do. 

 "If you're looking for a gun, ya won't find one. Those things aren't good for anything but ringing the dinner bell" Lilith assured nonchalantly. Suddenly sounding very bored of the whole situation, though her eyes remained trained on Blondy. Widening a fraction when she took a minute step forwards, tentatively. 

 Lilith chuckled. "Or avoiding the pain of becoming a human happy meal of course, there's that" she added as an afterthought. Sneering a little at the look of both disgust and discomfort that marred the ladies features. Something that looked almost like guilt, flashing in her pretty blue eyes. 

 She took another few steps forwards. Automatically, without thinking of it. 

 "Yup, sticking to melee weapons in my game. Nice 'nd quiet, not as quick to pop off a big group of the fuckers but" she shrugged. Bobbing her head in a so-and-so nodding motion. "Works well enough for me". 

 Finally, the strange blonde stepped into range, and the grin on Lilith's face became feral. And she dropped low, fast, ducking right under the weapon at her back and shooting forwards twice as fast. Foot pushing her forwards so quickly, the ground almost slipped out from under her, and she dove at the strange woman. Reaching for her knife at her hilt--and finding it empty. 

 She swore, and instead zig-zagged around the obstacle in her path. Shoving her off balance as she passed, and made a B-line straight for her bag. Stopping dead in a halting motion--an arrow snapping up the space where she would have been otherwise. Embedding itself into the ground at her feet, and she continued forwards, stooping to snatch up her bag and weapon without slowing, before making a mad dash forwards. 

 Right into a very, very alarmed looking woman. A familiar looking, very unarmed and vulnerable looking woman. Just as the previously absent group that had been preoccupied a few minutes before burst out through the front door. 

Shit. 

 With no other choice, Lilith snapped up Lori by the waist, dropping her weapon in favor of her supplies, and wrapping a threatening arm around the struggling woman's throat. She went limp almost immediately, trembling in the smaller woman's hold, eyes searching desperately for help. 

 Which came in the form of the entire paired wrath of both the farmhouses residents, and their guests. 

 Okay, maybe gunning straight for the relatively defenseless mother and wife of what looked to be the authority of the group wasn't the best choice to choose. But to be fair, they'd have probably shot her otherwise. If she was being entirely honest, part of her had been craving this sort of conflict from the very start, survival--no, the end of the world itself. It was... Boring. For the most part. Entertainment came in the form of challenges nowadays, and what bigger challenge than fighting her way through a huge group of armed and well-fed hostiles? 

 That being said. She didn't exactly find the idea of slaughtering a group of people that didn't have it coming. It took the fun out of it. Mostly. Probably. Geez, she was a walking contradiction huh? She could barely even make her mind up anymore. 

 Eh. She blamed it on the starving-to-death thing. 

 Anyway, where was she? Ah yes. She was surrounded by a group of people out for her blood with a vulnerable mother in a choke hold. Silly her. 

She gulped. Lilith feared for life. 

 Rick, standing at the front of the whole group, stopped a few feet in front of Lilith, holding both hands out for the rest to stand back. He was seething, breathing heavily with eyes boring into Lilith with barely concealed rage bubbling below the surface. And he took careful aim, gun pointed right to Lilith's head. Behind him, Shane seemed to be in a similar state. 

 After hearing footsteps behind her, Lilith whirled back around, dragging Lori a few steps away. Before settling to face both groups, keeping a careful eye on the crossbow-wielding bastard who was trying to sneak up on her. She glared at him in warning, watching him circle her, pacing back and forth agitatedly. 

 Meanwhile, she murmured a very quiet apology to the woman in her arms. Who squeaked in response. 

 "I don't know who you are, or what you want, but you need to calm down" came Ricks booming voice. Authoritive, and commanding, but Lilith heard how his voice shook. She couldn't tell if it was with anger, or fear, but she was thankful for it nonetheless. As long as he felt a little unnerved, she had a chance to get away. It was important he saw her as a threat for her to actually survive this without actually breaking his wife's neck. 

Still. She would be, if it came down to it. 

 The woman didn't move a muscle at Ricks words, but she did sigh a little at the situation as a whole. She could feel the woman's pulse hammering in her neck, and cursed herself inwardly as she ducked her head to Lori's ear. 

Damn she was going soft. "I'm not gonna hurt ya if I can help it" she hissed under her breath. Lori tensed a little, "keep looking scared though" Lilith added after a moment of thought. Why the fuck had she done that? Hell, maybe if everything went south that could save her hide. She doubted the woman would speak up for her even if she patted her on the head and offered her the holy grail in a hand basket, but still. Plus she didn't want the woman to have a heart attack in her arms and die. Then she really would be fucked sideways more ways than a prostitute. 

 "Just let her go, and you can go on your way" Rick spoke again. This time, sounding almost pleading, and then Lilith realized she hadn't responded. Well. Not to him. Geez Lilith think on your feet. What to say what to say. 

 Well, she's so deep in shit she might as well bullshit her way through this too. "Look, this was all a huge mistake, and I wanna get on my way--" she began. Only for Shane to interrupt hotly, "Now you listen here and you listen now--you drop her and get down on your knees" he practically growled. Lilith, however, remained completely unimpressed. He could foam at the mouth all he wanted but the fact of the matter was, she had the upper hand, and threats weren't exactly the best way to deal with a person in a hostage situation. Sheesh. She was the one _holding_ her hostage and she felt embarrassed for him. He should take a leaf out of Rick's book, and try and keep everyone calm. Not rile them up. Honestly, she thought he was the voice of reason after the whole accidental-spying thing. Apparently not. 

 "As I was saying mate, before you oh-so rudely interrupted, I really just wanna get gone", oh she couldn't help it. Being a smartass wasn't the smart thing to do here, but it was definitely the fun thing. After so long on the road alone, it felt good to piss a guy off. Heh, look. She could see a vein bulging out his forehead from here. 

 The temptation to snicker was way too hard to resist. So she didn't. It came out as a violent snort, and had she had the view Rick had. She would have seen the poor woman's eyes widen into saucers, the thought in her head written across her face. _This woman was fucking nuts!_ It said. 

 Eh, she wasn't exactly wrong. Not right either, nah Lilith was more like dipping a foot in the crazy, not full blown insane. If she was full blown, she would've already snapped the woman's neck and would be frolicking around the fields playing dodge ball with bullets. And laughing gleefully the whole way. 

 An unexpected, gruff voice spoke up. " 's bull, ya'd sooner cut 'er throat" crossbow-man scoffed. Fingers tightening and untightening as he adjusted his hold on his weapon. The movement was more anxious than anything, and he was gnawing on his lip like it was gum. 

 The woman shrugged, "Pretty sure I know my own intentions better than you, mister-crossbow-man". 

 Well that was an interesting face he was making. His face was hard, not a trace of mirth, at all, but in its place, there was bewilderment. Only for a second, and it was gone, and his face was set back to an unreadable, stony wall. Stance taught, with lean arms wiry with the kind of muscle that came with an active lifestyle. This guy clearly hadn't worked a desk job before the fall. He was too wild. And a sore comparison to the blond standing beside him, wearing a confident smirk as she took aim with that cute little noisemaker of hers. Oh-so sure that she had the upper hand, with that handgun secured tightly in her grip. Lilith wanted so badly to point out that while the woman clearly thought she was aiming at her head, the barrel was actually pointing at Lori's chest. 

If that woman fired, Lilith wouldn't be the the one who took the hit. 

 Cautiously, she adjusted her grip on the woman quivering in her arms. And that was when three things happened very quickly, in rapid succession of each other. 

 As Lilith released a hand from Lori, raising it in a gesture of surrender. The two women began shuffling very gradually backwards. Deciding it best to abandon her gear due to the risky nature of retreating with a hostage in her arms. The two groups flanking on both sides followed, but remained at a safe distance away. They weren't going to let her loose, she had no doubt about that. They'd followed her too far from the house, and now she'd made it just to the edge of the property, to where the field began to bleed into forest. 

 Lilith held her breath for a moment... And shoved Lori forwards. 

 The woman yelped and fell forwards. But Lilith didn't stop to find out if that scuffing sound was the result of her hitting the ground face first or if someone had lunged to catch her. Propelling herself forwards towards the cover of the overgrowth. Strangely enough, she didn't hear anyone firing after her, though the sound of heavy footfalls and yelling rang through her ears just as loud as her racing pulse did. 

 The man who barreled into her side told her why it was nobody had yet took a shot.

 It was like being hit by a bull, as something made solid contact around her back ribs. Forcing the breath from her body, before the two of them went tumbling through the bushes, twigs and stones tangling in her hair and scratching at her exposed flesh. A grunt that didn't come from her was forced out above her head. 

 Twisting her body around, she met her attacker head on. Writhing like an epileptic snake under his weight, before hauling her body up to shove him sideways. Using the opportunity and shift of balance to her advantage, she kicked out hard behind her as she rolled over to scramble away. Only to grunt as a large hand tangled in her hair, yanking her head back at a painful angle with an audible click. Without really checking to see where she was aiming, she automatically slammed her elbow into the larger figures ribs, and once again the weight subsided. But only for a moment, the man was relentless in his assault, and soon enough she was back facing him eye to eye. Grappling with impressive strength that both parties seemed surprised at, as the smaller woman lashed out viciously. Snarling dangerously as she matched the stranger blow for blow, while the rest of the group simply surrounded to block the woman's escape route off completely. Forming a tight ring around her, weapons drawn but hesitating to fire, lest they accidentally shoot their comrade by mistake. 

 When Lilith realized she was surrounded, it was already too late. And she felt her already pounding pulse rise sickeningly to her throat in absolute panic, though she was still too preoccupied with her opponent to worry much about getting past them. 

 Fueled by terrified adrenaline, her assault became increasingly more volatile. Baring her teeth as she spat in the strangers eyes, hoping to blind him for even a moment. He did in fact recoil in disgust, a furious roar following soon after. But his grip didn't loosen in the slightest, instead tightened around her upper arms as they continued to wrestle. Only, temporarily blinded, the stranger shifted his weight too rapidly, and ended up tripping as his legs caught on one another as they attempted to keep himself upright. Unfortunately for him, his momentum, combined with Lilith's strength, got the better of him. And he crashed to the ground in a messy heap, and Lilith, still pumping with adrenaline, made to dart between Ricks legs. 

 Or, she would have done so anyway. If it hadn't been for Dale, who'd crept up behind her in the chaos. Only to promptly thwack her over the head when she'd risen from her victory over the felled hunter. With the blunt end of his rifle. 

 Lilith dropped like a stone. Sprawling across the forest floor, right beside Daryl, who huffed angrily as he pushed himself to his feet. Wiping the saliva from his eyes, glowering at the woman on the ground, before pushing past the ring of onlookers,to retrieve his weapon. Leaving Rick and the others to deal with the strange woman who'd just kicked his arse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this chapter is kinda shit I know. It didn't wanna be written, but now it has, and while it's not the best, it's done.  
>  So, Lilith finally meets the group she's been spying on. Wonder how things will develop from here? Well. I know how they will, but I guess you'll just have to wait and see~  
>  Thankyou for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed. if you did enjoy, why not leave a comment, or even a kudos?  
>  Till next time~


	8. Greetings, And Not-So-Great First Impressions

Well hey, how about that--she was still alive! Awesome. 

 Groaning as she shifted on the... Unusually soft surface she was lying on. She was less than pleased to find that her arms were dead in their sockets. A nasty growing ache was developing down her neck and shoulders, and she couldn't feel her fingers at all. Automatically, she pulled to tuck her hands under her chest. Wanting to roll over and curl up into a ball against the light. Lest her pounding headache threaten to blow her skull up. Good god, she could feel the sharp ache right behind her eyes, as if her brain was trying to push them out of their sockets. 

 Her eyes flew open when she found her wrists trapped above her head. After a little struggling, she found herself shackled and bound at the wrists, by actual handcuffs. Again, she gave an experimental jiggle, nope. Still stuck tight. 

 Well, she probably should've guessed this would happen. She was happy to be alive, to ask much more than that was just unrealistic on her part. 

 Still. It wasn't often she'd been a captive of a group. In fact, she'd reckon this was her first time, fun. Nice notch on the long bucket list of life. As fun as this whole experience was though, she'd very much like to not be here anymore. She had shit to do, and while this group was cool and all, she seriously doubted their survival skills were up to par. Too weak, and being among them was nothing but a drag. 

 Then again, if she'd had the choice, it might've been nice to hang around living people for a little while. If for nothing else than a little amusement. But no, they might not have killed her yet, but that didn't mean they wouldn't. Or that they'd just suddenly open their arms to the stranger that, as far as they were concerned, had attacked them in cold blood. 

 It took the sound of the floorboards groaning under someone's weight to alert Lilith to the fact she wasn't alone. 

At least she recognized this one. And she grinned, offering a cheeky smirk to the Asian boy sat across from her. Slouching in his seat by the door, looking bored to high heaven's. 

 "Heya Glenn" she greeted chipperly, despite the fact her head felt as though it was splitting apart. He jumped at the sound, and regarded her with wide eyes. Huh, didn't take much to spook this guy, did it? 

 He swallowed thickly, before he spoke. "H-how do you know my--" he stammered, and Lilith rolled her eyes before cutting him off. "--I was stuck in the attic for long enough. Let's just say I overheard". 

 "Right..." he answered, but didn't seem entirely sure about something. 

 Lilith smiled again, and he couldn't help but notice that this time, it looked sincere. Which of course, didn't make him feel any better. It had looked genuine to begin with. 

 "Methinks the boy's a bit on edge with the scary stranger lady" Lilith teased. Leaning forwards a bit to eye him a little closer, "Didn't anyone tell you? It's bad to talk to strangers, stranger danger~" she trilled, before breaking off to cackle to herself. Wheezing at the very uncomfortable look on Glenn's face as she let her head plop back down to the pillow. 

 "Yeah..." the man said shakily, "Very funny". Somehow, Lilith couldn't help but feel that wasn't how he really felt. Shame. She was having the time of her life on that nice, soft bed. Better if she wasn't restrained, mind, but ah well. Couldn't win 'em all. 

 The woman sighed, sounding content, "So, what's the story huh? Gonna kill me or what? Cuz I need to know and now would be a good time". 

 "What--no, maybe? I don't know?" came Glenn's immediate response. He sounded horrified by the  thought, that was a good thing right? If he didn't like it, maybe the other wouldn't be so eager to go through with it.

 "Relax kid--" 

"Kid? I'm pretty sure I'm older than you--" 

"My point. It's not like I'm blaming you personally" Lilith said as-a-matter-of-factly. Face passive for the moment, before lighting up cheerfully.

 "I can't blame you guys for looking after yourself. Not exactly thrilled with the idea, but, you do you", she shrugged, Glenn's eyebrows furrowed, "I'd be happier if you guys let me make my case first though". 

 "I don't know, you scared us all pretty bad..." the man admitted quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

 "So did you, I thought this place was empty when I got here first" Lilith countered, blowing out another sigh as she rolled her head back around to face him. 

 "How did you end up in the attic anyway?". 

 "I panicked" she answered plainly. 

 Glenn cocked his head to one side. Had he heard that right? "You... Panicked?". 

 "Yes", she nodded, "Was on the front porch when I heard voices, and with nowhere to run and visions of death and possible cannibalism heading my way, I scaled the wall and hid there". 

 Glenn just... Stared. Looking like he really, really wanted to laugh out loud at the situation. But evidently thought better of it. Since the woman might very well be facing the death she'd been trying to avoid. Minus the cannibalism thing. 

 "Yeah, not how I wanted to spend my weekend" Lilith quipped. 

 "It's Tuesday--" Glenn started, but a sharp look from the bound woman easily shut him up. Killing the words on his tongue. 

  She looked about to say more, but that was when the door Glenn had been guarding, opened. Well. Not so much opened, as it was nudged further ajar. A familiar faced woman stepping in view first, looking very frustrated, and the man following close at her heels hinted at why. She just seemed to sag at the feeling of him brushing against her back. But not in defeat. That woman was not a happy woman right now. 

 "Greetings, here to join apocalypse anonymous? New arrivals win a neat new--" 

 "You shut it" Shane ordered snappishly, earning a very unamused look from the restrained woman. It would have been comical had it been under any other circumstances, and it seemed to feed the rage emitting from the aggressive man. Lilith was all the more happy for Lori's presence, serving as a barrier between the two. 

 Being bound and defenseless, common sense and a basic sense of self preservation would tell most people to avoid poking the bear in the room. Especially the bear that wasn't a bear at all, but a man who was making it very clear by his taut posture and also the fact he was glaring at her heatedly, that he wasn't very much her fan. 

But she couldn't help it. 

 "Oh, hey look, y'know us English have funny ways of dealing with guys like you", Glenn shot her an intimated, warning look. Lori simply raised a brow at the helpless woman's bold greeting. Shane, he had no visible reaction other than seething harder.

 "We deal with you like we do jellyfish as a great man once said. Brainless, funny looking, and if one touches you, piss on it". And to add insult to injury, she cocked her leg up. 

 Shane pushed past Lori at that, arms outstretched and looking ready to snap her neck right then and there. Witnesses be damned. Glenn and Lori both stepped in his way, albeit Glenn much more timidly. Whereas the woman was much bolder, standing straight with shoulders pushes back challengingly, sending a chilling glare at the man who stood well above a foot over her. 

 "Shane you leave her alone--" she scolded, meanwhile the man seemed as though he was desperately trying to pass an immovable object. Struggling to find away around her, bar physically Shoving her out of the way. Still, that didn't stop him from growling "That bitch fuckin' attacked camp--attacked _you_ , 'n' you're here defending 'er?!". 

 "We don't know that--she was scared, and we were charging her" Lori scolded just as passionately. "She didn't hurt anybody and I think we can afford to give her a chance to explain herself, Shane". 

 The larger man scoffed incredulously. "What kinda world do you think we're livin' in were people attacking us _aren't_ dangerous?" he practically spat, but even with all that aggression, it didn't go unnoticed by Lilith that he flinched back at the woman's scorned expression. 

 "It doesn't matter what you think Shane, it matters what's right, and Rick and everyone have already agreed to hear her out". 

 Lilith chuckled, and chimed in, backing the sassy woman up. "So sit that on a chair and swivel on it". She was rewarded with a triumphant glance from the elder woman. Even if she tried to hide it by pressing her lips together into a thin line. Her eyes were still smiling. 

 Shane took another menacing step towards Lilith, but, unable to approach any further. Just glared her down with a scathing look, eyes darting between her and the woman still confidently squaring up to her. Obviously outnumbered, and defeated, he stomped out of the room like a child having a tantrum. Smacking the door violently as he went. The noise of the impact was thunderous, but the action itself, childish. 

And everyone took a breath. 

 Lilith decided to take action first, rattling the chain of her cuffs to get Lori's attention, before grinning sheepishly up at her. "Hey, thanks for that, and uh, sorry for, y'know, holding you hostage and all...?" she said, trailing off as the woman now shifted to face her properly. A hard, yet not unfriendly look taking up her face. 

 She licked her lips, as though taking a moment to digest the apology. Before she cautiously took a seat on the edge of the bed. 

 "You're awful young to be out travelling on your own" the brunette mused, changing the subject abruptly. Rather than seeming upset, she seemed relieved. 

 "I do well enough by myself" she said, bobbing her head in a so-so motion. It was the truth. She'd survived months without a group now, people were nothing but trouble nowadays. "Well, usually". Yeah, she was kinda of tied to a bedpost right now. That wasn't doing as well as she'd have preferred. Still, she was breathing. That was always a good thing. 

 A small smile spread across Lori's face at that. And out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Glenn had also softened a little to the young lady fastened to the bed. She was certainly bold, and way too mouthy for her own good, but she seemed like a good enough kid. She hadn't even really hurt anyone yesterday, save Daryl anyway, she'd been surprisingly gentle when she'd--well, taken her hostage. Maybe it was the mother in her, looking at this young girl, all out on her own in this new, gruesome world. Her heart really went out to the little girl. 

 "I'm glad I didn't end up seriously maiming any of you", Lori's expression faltered a tad, "I don't really like hurting nice people if I can help it". 

 Silence.

 "So you're sayin' you've hurt people?" another voice interrupted, and everyone turned to face the new arrival. Lilith simply smiled, unperturbed by the very apprehensive looking sheriff. Face set in a stony expression to match his whole demeanor. Although he held his body quite casually, the tightness in his shoulders revealed how truly tense the man was. His eyes flickered momentarily between his wife and the woman sprawled across the bed. Shane was right behind him, but he said nothing. Just shot Rick a smug look that was ignored. Rick just remained still were he'd stopped. 

 He probably thought that nobody would notice how he gravitated to the spot before his wife, as though moving to protect her from the oh-so terrible captives influence. 

 Lilith looked the man up and down. He was dressed in the same beige pants he'd arrived in, but his shirt was no longer the matching uniform dress shirt. Just now a simply sleeveless top, that probably started the morning crisp and white. But now, probably due to the harsh Georgian sun, as well as the scuffle earlier that day, a nasty looking patch of sweat was staining the rim around his neck and shoulders. Along with a few faint looking grass stains, and a thin trail of mud around one side. 

 "Yes" she confirmed simply, "I have". 

 Rick said nothing for the moment. Head bobbing as his hands settled on his hips, body leaning to one side as his fingers ghosted over the grip of his revolver. Not really for intimidation, it was more like a nervous tick. He seemed uncomfortable despite his stern disposition. Everyone but him seemed to recoil a little from the young lady. But Rick hadn't spoken again, his eyes were too busy boring into Lilith's, trying to read the cocky mask that was staring right back up at him. No remorse in her eyes. 

 Taking his silence as her cue to keep talking, she obliged. "You'd be surprised at how quickly people follow the world when it falls, mister" she said, but this time, there was no sing-song in her tone. It was cold, and steely, like the voice didn't belong to her at all. It truly was chilling. Then her grin widened again, and the air felt a bit more breathable again. "I didn't kill anyone yet who hasn't deserve it, I'd prefer to keep it that way, of course, but saints don't exist in this world anymore".

 If anything, Rick didn't seem to know how to respond to that. He just stood there, wiping at his mouth, agitatedly trying to think of what to do next. Here was this stranger, this young woman, alone, admitting to a group who had her captive that she was dangerous. Not pleading her case or excusing her actions. Bold as brass, in fact not even that. She was just... There, letting him make all the big decisions. 

 Shane took the gap in conversation to butt in. "Knew you were a threat, why don't you tell me how you came to find us huh? Bet you planned today rob us dry, kill us all 'n' take our shit?" 

 She didn't even bat an eyelid. Just rolled her eyes at the man, looking beyond bored with his antics. 

 "Look, only one imma answer seriously is the big boss here, n you aint it" she answered smartly, and nodded to Rick, eyes never leaving Shane, "he is".

 Did she even care if she lived to see the end of this? Something told him that she didn't, but she didn't seem all that thrilled about the alternative. It was like she was toying with him. Lying there as if all this was just a mild inconvenience to her journey, that she didn't even care if she finished or not. 

 There was... Something else, too. Her eyes, they were so intensely focused on everyone. Unblinking. Like she was unable, or unwilling, to break her stare. 

 He had to choose his words very carefully. "How many?" he asked, voice oddly quiet in the room where so many things were happening. A sobering silence that didn't affect the anomaly of a woman in the slightest. "A lot, hard to tell, after the first few you just... Stop counting" She replied, eyes glassy though she was still grinning. Like she was watching from behind her own eyes. Detached from everything. 

 "People say when shit hits the fan, things slow down" Lilith whispered suddenly. Chuckling dryly, and shaking her head. "That's not what happens, it all speeds up, and when it does, you can't remember how many you hit and who actually dies, you're just alone with the weapon in your hands and the feeling in your gut". 

 Rick's eyes never left her face. And Glenn and his wife were beginning to feel as though they were trespassing on something. The two an intrusive audience on the pair who seemed intent to block out the world around them. 

 "Why?" Rick asked in a somber voice.

 "Because I didn't want to die". 

 

Rick stood before his group, pacing as he waited for everybody to settle themselves in their places. His wife and Carl were stood at rapt attention a few paces away, with Lori absently stroking at the young boys hair. His face was still sickly pale, as he was still recovering of course, and although Hershel had heavily advised he stay bedridden a while lounger. The boy had grown impatient sitting inside, and Lori had easily consented to a gentle stroll around camp for some fresh air. So long as he take it easy, of course. Really, she was just wary too leave him inside with Lilith. 

 T-dog and Andrea were both stood together closer to the house. Both leaning on the porches fencing as they waited for Rick to speak, while Dale, Glenn and Shane had gravitated around to stand by Hershel and his family. Shane, as everyone else, was eager to start the discussion. Though was much more... Angry about it. 

 Daryl meanwhile, was stood a little away from the rest of the group, sitting fiddling with a piece of dried out grass on the front steps. 

 With everyone accounted for, Rick cleared his throat loudly, the whispering stopped, and the sheriff now commanded everyone's full attention. 

 "I know you've all been anxious to get this thing with the stranger over" he started, raising his voice so that it reached everyone's ears. Speaking clearly, as he turned in a slow semi-circle in order to peer at everyone's individual faces. Nobody quite met his eyes. Except Shane. Who was stood glaring at the man with eyes squinting with scrutiny. He'd made it clear were he stood on the matter, and frankly he couldn't wrap his head around why everyone was going ahead with this. 

 "Now what she's done was... It was dangerous, no questions asked, she attacked us", the man swallowed, pausing to take a breath. Everyone silently nodded along. "I spoke with her, she's alone, she says she didn't want to hurt us". 

 His head dropped, and he pinches the bridge of his nose, scrunching his eye shut for a moment. He could already tell his opinion on the matter was going to be very unpopular. 

 But he couldn't condemn a kid without giving her a chance. "She's been on her own for a while, people she's met so far haven't been--been like us, she's had to do things that we, we haven't _had_ to do". 

 Might as well get it over with. 

 "I think we should give her a chance". 

 The effect was instant, suddenly there was an outcry as everyone shouted to get their say in. Some actually stepping forwards to get their points clear. 

 "She attacked our group, she could've killed us! She was spying on us as we slept she could've wiped us all out!" Came Andrea's immediate cry, though that was nothing compared to Shane's immediate rage. He bounded up to Rick challengingly like a damn bull, circling the man as if he was stalking him. Like a wild animal, but without the claws, teeth or horns, just muscle. And a gun. 

 "Look man I know you didn't just say that" he almost laughed in disbelief. His face was surprisingly light, smiling with his eyebrows raised as if he'd been told the best joke he'd ever heard in his life. "The girls a killer, she's a threat, and _threats_ don't get welcomed to the table with a pat on the back and a fucking--". 

 "She's just a kid Shane, she's been alone in this she didn't know us from the boogieman next door" Rick reasoned exasperatedly. He knew this was gonna happen, hell even he wasn't sure this was the best call. But he'd rather keep an eye on her and take a chance than kill an helpless young girl who thought she had no choice. "She never even tried to make demands with us, she just wanted to _leave_ , Shane".

 "She was pretty nice when I was alone with her" Glenn chimed in, though the look on his fave said he regretted it immediately. Especially with the way Shane was turning on him. "She's weird, but I don't think she's bad". 

 Dale on the contrary, seemed all too pleased by Glenn speaking up. Patting the young man on that back as he too stepped forwards. "Now I'm not sayin' we can't take precautions in this, but we could be turning down a valuable asset to the group here, a new friend is worth the risk--" 

 " _Bullshit_ " Shane hissed, sneering at the old man who simply shot the larger man a hard look. "She took Lori hostage, one of _ours_ , a mother--what if it had been you, or _Carl_ here? We don't know that she wouldn't do it all again at the drop of a hat". 

"Well we don't _know_ if she wouldn't either" Lori piped up from her spot clutching her son to her belly. He seemed perfectly happy to bask in her warmth, too sore and too tired to care what the adults where discussing over his head. 

 Rick shot her a thankful look at that, and she offered him a very small smile. Before breaking eye contact altogether. He found his gaze swiveling to focus on Hershel next, who hadn't spoken yet. His eyebrows were furrowed in that way they always seemed to be, knitted together as he squinted at the man stood at the center of all of this. 

 "I'll be brief, I don't want that woman near my girls, my family, you set her loose you take responsibility for her" he drawled in a wavering voice that had nothing to do with his nerves.

 The sheriff nodded, and turned again to face his group. Since Hershel had already made his position clear. This was his problem, that he wanted nothing to do with, lest it become his too. 

 "So we vote" he called over the bickering. They took a moment longer to quieten this time, but he let it go. Waited for them all to silence, before calling out, "all who're in favor of giving her a shot". 

 Dale and Lori raised their hands, along with Rick, and after a moment of hesitation, so did Glenn. Who sent a sheepish look towards those with hands still by their sides. Carol simply muttered that she wanted no part of this. 

 "All against". 

T-dog, Shane, Andrea, and Daryl raised theirs. 

 A tie. Having reached a stalemate, everyone eyed eachother in silence. Waiting for someone to give so that this could take one direction or the other. But nobody budged, firmly keeping by their decision. 

Carl untangled himself from his mother. 

 "Don't I get a vote?" he asked innocently. Looking towards the group of adults with that childlike look that made adults feel guilty about themselves. Nobody wanted to corrupt this child with their argument to decide life or death. Rick, looking to his wife, who shook her head. Sagged at the sight of his son, stepping forwards and kneeling to meet the boys gaze at eye level. "Course you do, bud. You're part of the group" the man smiled, a gentle fondness in his eyes. As the boys face lit up, proudly, he was _part of the group_. He stood up a little straighter at that, puffing out his chest a bit, even as his face scrunched up in thought. 

 "Let's give her a chance!" the boys said, and beamed at the approving look he got from Dale and his father. Glad to have brought that look of relief in the man that stood so tall in his eyes. 

 And with that, it was decided. And all those who had not agreed sagged in defeat, accepting that they wouldn't get to sleep soundly that night. While Shane kicked the ground, before stalking off towards his tent. Mumbling curses under his breath as he retreated to sulk in his own company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I can safely say that Lilith is a hardcore woman that is much more of a smartass than I could ever be. Man I wish I had that kind of wit--wait. I do, cuz I wrote it.  
> Yeah. Shit joke. But I am PROUD of it.   
>  Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading, and I thank you for doing so. I'd love it if you leaved some feedback, or a kudos if ya really enjoyed it!  
>  Till next time~


	9. Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith makes a friend. And pisses Daryl off. In fact, she pisses everyone off.

This was so painfully awkward. She was alive, still. And Rick had been the one to deliver the good news, they weren't going to murder her. Yet. As long as she played nice. 

 She was to be accepted into the group. Yknow, the group she didn't want to be a part of. She just wanted to leave and get on with her life. However long that would be. But here she was. Sitting uncomfortably in the middle of the camp with Dale, as well as Andrea, who was sticking right up to her shoulder. She was guarding on guard duty with Dale for walkers, while Andrea, as she'd already explained. Was on guard duty for Dale, from her. 

 It was a very tense set up. Needless to say. 

 Andrea had done nothing so far, but sit there, staring at Lilith. Eyes not leaving her once, as she occasionally tapped her handgun on her knee, suggestively. Almost daring. 'Give me a reason' it said. Lilith simply pulled a face at that, and shuffled closer to the man. Trying to distance herself from the scrutiny of the strange woman that sat burning a hole in her shoulder. 

 Dale, however, had been nothing but kind so far. He'd introduced himself quite warmly, given the circumstances. And had chatted about nothing important for a while, before giving up gracefully, leaving the overwhelmed woman to herself. Trusting she would talk when she was ready. 

 Really, he was being much too understanding for her comfort. In fact, she'd prefer he act like a prick than... A nice old man. It was just too normal. For a world that had gone to crap, it didn't feel natural. Why couldn't he be more like blondie? 

 At least this was a little more interesting than the alternative. Being alone without people to play with got very monotonous after a while. This was more exciting, the unknown aspect to it all. She had never been good at dealing with people, she didn't have a filter between her mouth and her brain (or so it had been explained to her anyway), but this sure beat taunting the dead. Still, it was fun to take them out though, it felt good to get all that pent up frustration out by bashing someone's brains in. There was just an odd fascination about slicing up meat, watching the blade cut neat little gashed in the parting flesh. Something so satisfying. Like stepping on fresh, untouched snow. 

 Still. While she didn't have much choice, she might as well enjoy the company while she had it. 

  "So...", both Dale and Andrea jumped at the sudden noise. It even seemed to make Andrea annoyed with herself, and she quickly settled back to in her seat, as if trying to pretend that hadn't happened. Dale just smiled again, looking pleased that she had finally broken her silence. Encouraging her to continue by turning to face her, offering her his full attention. Which was actually quite appreciated, even though she's prefer to speak without having to look him in the eye. It was less fun being rude to someone who was being so genuinely nice. Which in itself wasn't something she was so used to. No, the word felt foreign on her tongue. 

 "You guys take in killers often? Must say, that seems like a step or two backwards" she quipped, earning a chuckle from the old man. Not phased in the slightest. Rather than answering though, he instead steered the conversation in another direction. 

 "That's a strange accent you've got there" he mused with a self assured grin. Lilith bobbed her head. Heh, she'd give him that. "Could say the same about all of you" she countered cheekily, but with no venom in her words. "I'm British, lived in Manchester up till i was seventeen, moved to America shortly after, Atlanta came about a year before this started" 

 "Quite the move, did your family...?" he gently pried. A little taken aback when the young woman simply snorted in the back of her throat. 

 "Father could be anywhere" she answered, and the old man frowned sympathetically. Reaching forward to pat her on the knee, noting the way she eyed him, leery to the familiarity. 

 "Oh, I'm sorry" Dale apologized tiredly, as though he was tired of spouting the same kind of apologies to broken families. "Maybe we'll run into him, never know" he encouraged, eyes wrinkling with his smile. 

 Lilith sucked in her lips, raising her eyebrows as she shifted in her seat to get more comfortable. "If we do, I'm shooting the prick". 

 Dale's expression dropped at that. Figuring it best not to ask, while Andrea held her breath to muffle her laughter. She'd expected a lot of things, and that certainly hadn't been it. 

 "I can't believe the situation I got myself stuck in" The woman suddenly groaned. The frustration evident as she slid back down into her seat, as if sulking, as she lamented the loss of her freedom. Dale seemed to use the new subject as another opportunity to make nice, and both women had to give the guy credit. For trying. He really seemed intent on bringing the young woman into the fold. He didn't like the idea of letting a youth such as herself to struggle out there on her own. 

 Little did he know, that's exactly how she preferred it. This group wouldn't last the week the way they were going. She was actually impressed they'd survived this long as it was. They seemed to think that a man sitting on top of an old RV and calling it surveillance was sufficient defense. As in that was the only measure of safety they took. No traps, no pointy stick walls, no actual walls at all. It was pathetic. Such naivety would only get them all killed. 

Her included. She didn't need burdens keeping her hostage. There was no place for weakness in the world anymore. 

 "Granted its not ideal, but surely this is better than the slugging it on the road?" Dale counted, sounding triumphant, but Lilith didn't even grace that with a look. 

 "It might be, but you guys are _deluded_ if you think this place is safe as is", someone scoffed behind her. And Andrea, apparently offended, decided to come to her own defense at that. "We can take care of ourselves".

 "Yeah, sure you can, you people think you can just get a nice pool of little noise makers and boom-boom sticks and that makes you safe". She barked out a laugh. "Ha! Don't make me laugh, if you actually plan on _living_ miss-hard-ass, try using your _brain_ , actually _build_ this place up, have a real plan B other than just escape routes" Lilith ranted, with increasingly more frustrated hand waving as she spoke. " _Fortify_ places, not just the ones you live in, n don't just call four sturdy walls and a flimsy fence a sanctuary". 

 "So you say, but last time I checked, you were our prisoner" Andrea said bluntly. Corner of her mouth upturned in a smirk. Heh. Cute. _Real_ fucking _cute_ , if that was her best response. 

 "Not prisoner--" Dale corrected. 

 "Yeah and look how brilliantly its going for you, kid shot, man dead" Lilith laughed incredulously, twirling around on her chair to face the blonde leaning forward and squinting her eyes challengingly. "Remind me, how many people did you start off with again?". 

 Andrea's face dripped instantly, and she went to lunge for the younger woman--who didn't even flinch, just remained sitting where she was. Arms folded on the top of the back of her chair, chin resting on the palm of her hand. Unblinking, and with an eerie sense of calm. "You bitch--".

 Dale, who'd had the foresight to stick himself between the two women as things had begun heating up, fended off the furious blonde. Hands out in a placating gesture as he leered at both parties, hoping that Lilith wouldn't rise to the occasion in a violent fashion. 

 If she caused another scene, he doubted she'd be so lucky a second time as she was the first. 

 "Look, believe it or not, I'm not trying to be a gobshite here, I'm just stating facts" she surrendered easily, surprising both Dale and the woman he was trying to block from tearing into Lilith's throat. She even seemed to sag a little as the younger woman spoke, but Lilith showed little change in her demeanor. "If you guys want to keep this place safe, then you're gonna have to start thinking about how to make it happen". 

 Neither of the two spoke, visibly digesting the information, but Dale lowered his arms. Not in defeat. But in contemplation. 

 "I've watched a lot of people die, and if I'm stuck with you guys for now, I'd rather be the asshole that keeps you that way than the best friend forever that let you all die-- just because you've deluded yourself into thinking being soft is safe". 

For a moment, Dale simply sat there and stared. For a moment Lilith was actually concerned, resisting the temptation to reach forward and poke him to be sure she hadn't broken the guy. 

"So you're saying you're going to protect the group are you?" Dale smirked triumphantly. Smug as he watched the woman recoil at her own words. 

 "...You guys are more entertaining than talking to myself all the time" she grouchily relented. Shrugging while not quite meeting the old coots pleased eyes, which were twinkling with mirth. "I do things based on what I get out of it, fun is just as valuable as anything else now". Dale was still wearing that shit eating grin that made Lilith feel as though she were losing at something. 

Oh hell no. She bristled at his self satisfied grin. "I'm not pretending I'm a good person. Don't mix well with others", she paused, looking the man up and down. Before apparently reconsidering something in her head, and shrugging. "With the exception of you old man, as everyone is now we just won't work". There was only so long she could behave so well after all. 

 This was a big part pf the problem after all. In her own way, she supposed she was just as dangerous to their survival as they were. She did have a nasty habit of being a little... Unpredictable. It wasn't about living or dying for her, which was what made them differ heavily, among other things. It was about enjoying herself. She was a selfish person at heart, and she wasn't really all that ashamed to admit that, self interests drove her to do the things she did. 

 Still, the old man refused to let her words spoil his mood. Fine, fine. But it wasn't her problem when he regretted thinking so highly of her. "Though I thoroughly plan to enjoy myself before you all get tired and kick me out". 

 "That won't happen". He sounded confident. 

 Lilith eyed the man seriously. "I take that as a challenge". 

 

It seemed that Lilith had made it her personal mission to annoy, or otherwise irritate everybody in camp. Having been carefully passed around to help out with the chores, she'd managed to rub everyone, with the exception of Dale, up the wrong way. Until eventually, after multiple complaints from... Everyone, Rick himself had decided to keep watch over the volatile young woman. Discovering firsthand that the woman was like a hyperactive T-Rex on steroids as far as her actions went. And she had a habit of babbling about silly things as she worked, even if nobody responded. She'd respond for them, and then just keep talking, and even when she talked, she would switch topics so abruptly that even if anybody had been trying to listen they'd just lose track after a couple of minutes. 

 Rick had decided to take her out to help himself and Daryl with the search for Sophia, wary to leave her back at the camp without proper supervision. Hoping that the time out would maybe calm the woman down. That, and it was better than the alternative, leaving her in the hands of Shane. Who'd already made his brutal dislike abundantly clear. 

 "So, how long were you out there for?" Rick broke the silence with very much forced cheer. 

 "Long enough to forget what it's like to sleep without a bra" the woman bluntly responded as she smacked at a stray twig that had thwacked her in the face. In any other circumstances, Rick would've laughed himself hoarse at that. Graceful. 

 Unfortunately, Daryl was also apparently still pretty, well, touchy, about the whole letting the woman live amongst them thing. For the most part though he was pretty quiet about it, but he was noticeably more closed off when she was present, an impressive feat all in itself. And he kept tutting bitterly in Rick's general direction, usually accompanied by a pissy look at her. 

 In general, he was basically having a glorified man-tantrum. Lilith's own wording, of course. Yeah, didn't serve very well to help her whole relationship with the guy. 

 "So, how did you all meet anyway?" Lilith probed after a particularly long, drawn-out silence between the three. The crossbow wielding man simply huffed a sharp sigh through his nose at the noise, antsy about it drawing anything less than friendly to them. Or any valuable food away. Still, Rick decided to indulge her, even if he huffed as he did it. 

 What? There was no merit to being cruel to a person he'd asked for everyone to give her a shot. That wouldn't be practical, or right. 

She was still really damn irritating though. 

 "Everyone ya see've been together roughly since it began, I turned up a few months after". 

 The woman hummed in response. "Don't ya mean you'n' your family?". 

 "Nope, I got shot before the fall, woke up in hospital three months in alone in the city" 

"Caw, blimey, that's fucking scary shit there--kudos to you for getting through it", he wouldn't deny he was actually surprised at the admiration in the woman's voice. Catching a glimpse of her momentarily awestruck expression, before it slid off her face entirely, a look of complete and utter apathy replacing it. 

Huh. She certainly changed her tune quick. 

 "I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover" she pondered aloud, more to herself than to anyone else. But still, it poked at Rick's curiosity. 

 "Why's that?" he asked pointedly, and the woman seemed to jerk in surprise. Obviously not expecting to be engaged willingly. 

 She visibly flailed a bit before she composed herself enough to speak. "It's just, you all seem so... Soft, I guess I just didn't expect any of you'd be capable of making it in those circumstances" she ended up muttering a little sheepishly. As if she'd just realized as she said it how offensive it must have sounded. 

 "... I'm gonna give you a pass there 'n' take it as a compliment" Rick graciously answered after a beat of silence.

 Sensing she was irking the man a bit much, she decided a hasty change of subject was likely in order. "So, this place looks promising for larger game, nice large habitats here, you don't get many spaces like this back in England. Suppose it's good I'm not back there, that place is probably a sardine can of dead by now".

 "Got any family back there?" Rick asked with an air of sympathy in his tone. But Lilith just shook her head. "Nah, any family I know of moved here with me, if I had a better family, I'd be glad of it" was her answer. Sounding dismissive at best, wearing a mask of indifference.

 "... Great?" Rick said, though it was more of a question than an answer. Not quite sure how to respond, and so opting to just leave it at that. Missing the very amused grin that flickered across the younger woman's face at his bafflement.

 "Rick--", Darryl's voice pierced the silence of the overgrowth. Catching both Lilith and Rick's attention very easily all things considered, he wasn't a very talkative man. So his voice carried, and it carried well, rough and gravelly from disuse, but still somewhat strong. Both stopped walking, looking up to find Daryl already in the middle of creeping towards them, aiming down the eye of his crossbow at something that neither of them could see. Once he was within a meter of the pair, he stopped, nodding in their direction without looking away from whatever he'd caught in his sights. 

 "Stay 'ere" he instructed coolly, "watch out fer walkers" he added after a quick pause. Before moving out without even so much as a glance to make sure either had acknowledged him, though they had. Either he was confident that Rick at least had his back, or he really didn't care. 

 Either way, Rick upholstered his gun, gripping it comfortably in his hands as he turned his attention back to scanning the area. Lilith on the other hand--unarmed, seemed happy to keep an eye on Daryl himself. Absentmindedly tracing out swirling patterns in the soil with the toe of her boot.

 Meanwhile, Lilith was less willing to stay put and observe the man going off to snag whatever it was he'd caught in his crosshairs. Dropping to her knees to fiddle around with twine caught from plant fibers and twigs. While Rick seemed unwise to it, ignoring the woman's irritating faffing, the prospect of some fresh meat much more enticing. As he eagerly observed the obviously more talented man at work. Fighting the urge to salivate at the thought of a size-able catch. 

 Heck, he was hungry enough for something that wasn't just canned to even appreciate the thought of a particularly fat squirrel right about now.

So distracted in fact, that the sound of twigs snapping that wasn't the workings of his female companion went almost unnoticed. 

 "Hey, Rick--do you hear that?".

"Keep it down" Rick hissed. Eyes trained on the hunters back.

"Rick" she whispered again, quieter this time, but no less incessant.

"There's something out there, it's coming from--" 

"it's probably a squirrel" he said, but he didn't look quite as confident anymore. And his hands had noticeably clenched harder on the grip of his revolver, eyes searching the dense thicket for whatever was making the sound. Only, he was looking in the wrong direction. 

 He couldn't hear anything. Not over the sounds of rustling branches, the breeze in the forest deafening him to any oncoming danger. 

"But--" 

"If its somethin' to worry about he'll have a seen it by now, we just gotta keep an eye on his blind spot, for anything sneaking up behind him" Rick insisted. 

Needless to say she was less than convinced. 

 "Fine" she muttered under her breath, before disregarding Rick entirely. Moving forward at a crouch towards the other man's back, shrugging off the Cop's grasping hands as she wiggled from his reach. Quickly increasing her pace as the crunching sounds grew steadily louder. Rasping growling increasing the urgency of her movements, Daryl was much too distracted. She doubted he could even hear her approaching. Never mind whatever had spotted him. She needed to get to him faster. Before--

 It was in that moment, something much larger than a squirrel emerged from the brushes. Leafy overhangs catching at loose flesh as a snarling, drooling maw the only thing visible to the panicked Rick and Lilith both as he finally joined the race to get to Daryl. Who's unfortunate trust in his allies had left him wide open to attack. 

 Throwing all cares to the hunt aside, Lilith rose from her spot a stone's throw away from Daryl and launched herself towards the silhouette. Not caring if it was living or dead, just knowing she had to attack and attack now, rather than later. And succeeded in alerting Daryl to the danger as she cried out, less fortunate, was that she'd already landed on what she identified upon landing to be a walker. The smell hitting her in the face as she the dead mans waist, knocking it face first into the mud from behind with impressive force. 

 Force that also managed to daze her as well upon landing. And it became a matter of being the one to recover first, as in her dizzied state, pried herself from the corpses grasping fingers as she pushed herself back onto her knees. Letting out a panicked yelp as the dead man's hand made contact, tangling itself in her hair, before a sharp whistle of air, and--

 The walker dropped. Permanently dead, if the arrow lodged inside it's eye had anything to say about it. 

 Wheezing. Lilith took a moment to compose herself, while Rick chose the moment to join the party. Daryl already stood hovering over Lilith, eyes wide and alert from the near miss. 

 "Are you hurt? Are you bit?" 

No response. 

 "Are you _bit_?" Rick pressed. As Daryl hesitantly turned the scope of his bow on her head. Fingers twitching to the trigger as he waited for a response. Or a signal 

  "I _told_ you there was something out there" Lilith whined in complaint, lazily tossing a pebble at Rick's leg. Who flinched back in surprise. 

 Only to relax as she stood after the initial wobble. Dusting herself off with a moody scowl on her face, still shaken as she rubbed the sore spot of her scalp and wincing. 

 Well at least she seemed fine.

 "I thought you two were watchin' out fer trouble" Daryl rounded on Rick. Eyes flickering angrily from him to Lilith, who was still wearing a grimace to rival his own. Rick just shook his head, raising his hands placatingly, then dropped them to his waist, wiping a hand down his face an continuing to fidget restlessly, evidently worked up just as much a Daryl. Who was pacing like some sort of cobra back and forth in an agitated fashion, like he was fighting the urge to deck the other man in the face for leaving him wide open to attack. 

 Rick looked ashamed. Guiltily squinting his eyes towards Daryl as he finally stopped moving, "Yeah, you're right I-- thought you saw it". 

"To be fair Mr. Actaeon-fanboy, you do come across as pretty overpowered and all, maybe if you weren't so much of a dark-horse type, people wouldn't overestimate ya" 

 He looked like he wanted to be angry, or was, but didn't really know what at. Like he knew he'd been insulted but he did 't know what the insulting part was, or even meant. But still, he looked thoroughly pissed, at her, the situation, or all in one. He didn't say anything, but it was fairly easy to see he wasn't pleased. 

 At least the heat was directed at her instead now. Much more fun, plus, she kinda didn't wanna risk the guy falling out with Rick. Seeing as it was Rick's word keeping her alive now, and he obviously didn't agree with the decision to begin with. Didn't wanna risk the fella deciding fuck it and just doing as he pleased over a stupid argument.

 "Alright, alright, look Daryl, I'm sorry I really thought you'd seen it, for what it's worth, I would've shot it before it got to you"

"Really? Why didn't you shoot the shit outta it before it tried to make me a human happy meal then?" came Lilith's upset whine. Shooting the man a mock-betrayed look, but even with the humour in her voice, she still seemed a bit miffed.

 "Because you were wrestling with it on the ground, Lilith" Rick deadpanned in a very unamused fashion. "I'm more impressed you managed to get a shot in, with them rollin' about like that, it was hard to get a clean shot" he mused, turning around to face Daryl once more. Eyebrows raised in surprise, while he just continued to sulk.

 "I was hopin' I'd miss" he muttered mostly to himself, but made no effort to keep it that way. Rick would've been concerned, but the woman herself didn't appear to be bothered.

 In fact, she was smiling. Breaking into a cheeky grin as she patted the grim mans back playfully, ignoring the way he slinked out from her touch. "D'awww c'mooon _Darl_ ing, you know ya love me really".

 And that, with a sharp tug to rip his broken arrow from the dead walkers skull, was Darryl's limit. With a flurry of movement, he spat at the ground at his feet, before stomping off in the opposite direction. Not bothering to check if the two were even following, which, at first, they didn't. They just paused for a moment, Rick shaking his head disdainfully at the young woman's smug, smiling face. Before he too took after him, increasing his pace to a slow jog, leaving Lilith behind. To snicker for a moment, before inevitably trotting after the two men. Happy to have found a new favourite pastime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this chapter was pretty filler-y, but while it was slow, it was needed. Cuz boi lemme tell ya, Lilith is an indoor AND outdoor hurricane. And stuffs about to get windy here, I've been so excited to get to this part you have no idea, cuz like from here on out it gets to my favourite kind of interactions and stuff. Like from here there arent many chapters that I'd consider slow anymore, 'course there are some, but let's just say I got some stuff to entertain ya'll.  
>  Time to get AWESOME!  
> Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed reading, and thanks FOR reading in the first place. If you enjoyed this, why not leave a comment, or check out some of my other works? I'm definitely your gall if you're into undertale I'll tell ya that (as in i have a mild addiction to writibg about skeletons and gay fish), as wellas a few other fandoms here and there. I'm open to requests too so don't be afraid to gimme some suggestions, might not make it into my plot, but one shots exist! So das good.  
> Till next time~


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